Beauty and the Lightning Beast
by TheSavageMan100
Summary: The second of Fairy Tail's Disney Parody Series, based on Beauty and the Beast. When her siblings' lives are on the line, Mirajane Strauss does not hesitate in agreeing to be the prisoner of Laxus Dreyar, a prince transformed into a hideous lightning beast because of his selfish heart. Will she free Laxus and his servants from their curse before the last petal falls?
1. Prologue

**Summary:  
** _Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Fairy Tail's Disney Parody Series! Today's installment, we bring you "Beauty and the Lightning Beast", based on one of the best films in the Disney 90's era, "Beauty and the Beast." See what I did there?_

 _When her siblings' lives are on the line, Mirajane Strauss does not hesitate in agreeing to be the prisoner of Laxus Dreyar, a prince transformed into a hideous lightning beast because of his selfish heart. As first, Mirajane sees Laxus as a monster, but there is more to him than meets the eye. Will she be willing to free Laxus and his servants from their curse before the last petal falls? (Mirajane x Laxus)_

* * *

 _Once upon a time in a faraway land, there stood the shining castle of the Royal Dreyar Family. The late King Ivan had fallen in battle during the war with the Ravens, while his wife Natasha died giving birth to their only son. On the day of the king's death, his son Laxus was only six years old. By decision of the royal council, Ivan's father Makarov was to rule in place of the king until his grandson Laxus's sixteenth birthday._

 _After many years, Laxus's sixteenth birthday came and gone, and he stepped up as the rightful heir to the throne following Makarov's passing. Unfortunately, although he had everything his heart desired, the young prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind._

 _But then, one winter's night, a young beggar girl came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, Laxus sneered at the gift and turned the young woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the young girl's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress named Mavis Vermillion. Laxus tried to apologize to Mavis, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast with bizarre powers over thunder and lightning, and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there._

 _Ashamed of his monstrous form, Laxus concealed himself inside his castle with a magic lacrima as his only window to the outside world. The rose Mavis had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-third year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast?_


	2. Mirajane

It was a bright sunny morning when a beautiful girl of 19 with white hair and wearing a black dress left her house to go shopping. With a basket containing a book and eggs for bartering in one hand, she happily walked over the bridge and into town. Looking around at the same old houses in the same old village, she knew that any minute she would hear the familiar voices of the same old townspeople.

Girl: **_Little town, it's a quiet village  
Everyday, like the one before  
Little town full of little people,  
Waking up to say…_**

Townspeople: **_Hello!  
Hi there!  
Morning! Good day! Hiya!_**

And sure enough, all at once, the people of the village poured out into the streets, refreshed and ready for a day of work and shopping. The girl sighed at her prediction as she walked into the crowd, giving an occasional wave or bow to the people she encountered.

Girl: **_There goes the baker with his tray like always  
The same old bread and rolls to sell  
Every morning, just the same  
Since the morning that we came  
To this poor provincial town_**

"Good morning, Mirajane!" yelled the baker Yajima carrying a tray of large bread rolls.

"Good morning, Mr. Yajima," Mirajane greeted.

"Where are you off too?" Yajima asked.

"The book shop," Mirajane said eagerly, taking a bread roll. "I just finished the most wonderful story, about a beanstalk and an ogre and—"

"That's nice," Yajima said distractedly. "Belno, Michello, Org! The baguettes! Hurry up!" he called in the back.

Seeing he wasn't interested, Mirajane shrugged and walked off with the roll in her basket and continued down the street, while Araña Webb, Beth Vanderwood, and Risley Law watched and shook their heads.

Araña, Beth, and Risley: **_Look, there she goes  
That girl is strange, no question  
Dazed and distracted down the lane_**

Ooba: **_Never part of any crowd_**

Ichiya: **_Cause her head's up on some cloud_**

Villagers: **_No denying she's a weird girl, Mirajane_**

Mirajane hitched a ride on a wagon driven by Simon and Kagura Mikazuchi.

Simon: **_Hello!_**

Kagura: **_Good day!_**

Simon: **_How is your family?_**

At the butcher's shop…

Flare: **_Hello!_**

Nullpudding: **_Good day!_**

Flare: **_How is your wife?_**

Mirajane passed by Jenny Realight and Hibiki Lates arguing over groceries.

Jenny: **_I need six eggs!_**

Hibiki: **_That's too expensive!_**

Mirajane: **_There must be more than this provincial life_**

Once the wagon arrived at the bookshop, Mirajane hopped off and entered it, greeted by the book shop owner Roubaul.

"Good morning, Miss Mirajane," Roubaul greeted.

"Good morning, Roubaul," Mirajane greeted back. "I've come to return the book I borrowed." She handed him the book from her basket.

"Finished already?" asked Roubaul.

"You know I couldn't put it down!" Mirajane smiled as she climbed up the ladder and scanned the shelves. "Have you got anything new?"

"Not since yesterday!" Roubaul chuckled, putting the book away.

"That's alright," Mirajane nodded. "I'll borrow…" She found a book and took if off the shelf, "That one!"

"That one?" Roubaul asked in surprise. "But you've read it twice!"

"Well, it's my favorite!" Mirajane gushed. "Far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise... what's not to like?"

Chuckling at her enthusiasm, Roubaul took the book off the shelf and handed it to her, "Well, if you like it all that much, it's yours."

"Really?" Mirajane asked in surprise. "But sir…"

"No, I insist," Roubaul escorted her out of the shop. "I was about to buy a new copy from the Blue Pegasus Publishing Company, anyway."

"Thank you!" Mirajane said gratefully and left the shop passing by Totomaru, Sol, and Aria. "Thank you very much!"

Totomaru, Sol, and Aria: **_Look, there she goes  
That girl is so peculiar  
I wonder if she's feeling sane_**

Women: **_With a dreamy far-off look_**

Men: **_And her nose stuck in a book_**

Villagers: **_What a puzzle to the rest of us, Mirajane_**

For a good couple blocks, Mirajane kept her eyes plastered to the open book, not even looking up to cross the street or avoid the hectic crowd which she bypassed with ease. Upon reaching the town square, she stopped to rest and sat on the edge of the fountain where a herd of cute Goblins stopped for a drink.

Mirajane: **_Oh! Isn't this amazing?  
It's my favorite part because you'll see_**

She showed one of the Goblins a page with an illustrated picture.

 ** _Here's where she meets Prince Charming  
But she won't discover that it's him till Chapter 3_**

Showing the book to the Goblins, they either tried to take a bite of the page or merely sniffed it and walked away. As she walked off and continued reading, she passed by a barber shop where Sherry Blendy had her hair trimmed by Lyon Vastia.

Sherry: **_Now, it's no wonder that her name means beauty  
Her looks have got a lot of brain_**

Lyon: **_But behind that fair façade  
I'm afraid she's rather odd  
Very different from the rest of us_**

Villagers: **_She's nothing like the rest of us  
Yes, different from the rest of us, Mirajane_**

Above the village, a loud noise rang through air as a flock of geese flew overhead. Suddenly, one of the geese was hit by a magical flame of darkness and fell to the ground. Down below, a huge, bear-chested, overweight, yet muscular man wearing a large dark robe-like garment with a lighter-colored spotted design near the top, attached by belt-like collars wrapped around his chest, and superhero-looking tights ran out into the street and attempted to catch the goose with a sack. His name was Kain Hikaru.

Missing it by a few inches, Kain quickly put the goose into the sack before running back to the entrance of a tavern. Standing in the doorway with hands pulsing with dark flames was a man with long and spiky blonde hair and wearing a yellow and dark blue skirt-like armor with a red waist ribbon that exposes the right side of his chest as well as his right shoulder, where a tattoo is located. His name was Zancrow.

"Wow, you didn't miss a shot, Zancrow!" Kain remarked with a wide smile. "You're the greatest God Slayer in the whole world!"

"I know," Zancrow acknowledged while blowing the black flames from his hands. "Master Hades handpicked me to learn a particular form of Lost Magic. And I chose God Slayer Magic because I always look at myself as a god! Gods are the best people around, and my mastery of Flame God Slayer Magic is proof that I'm the best!" He added a proud laugh to make his point.

Kain agreed, "No beast or god alive stands a chance against you. And no girl for that matter..."

"It's true, Hikaru," Zancrow nodded, pompously clapping Kain on the shoulder. "And I've got my sights set on that one." He pointed to Mirajane, who was standing at a grocery stand.

"What?" Hikaru exclaimed. "The eldest of the Strauss siblings?"

"She's the one! The lucky girl I'm gonna marry!"

"But she's—"

"The most beautiful girl in town," Zancrow interjected.

"I know but—"

"That makes her the best!" Zancrow continued, glaring at Kain. "And don't I deserve the best?"

"Well, of course you do," Kain nodded. "What I mean to say is—" Ignoring his rambling, Zancrow pushed Kain aside and began to sing.

Zancrow: **_Right from the moment  
When I met her, saw her  
I said she's gorgeous and I knew_**

Zancrow smirked, looking at his reflection in a pot while failing to notice Mirajane passing him.

 ** _Here in town there's only she  
Who is beautiful as me  
So it's Mirajane that I will charm and woo_**

Noticing Mirajane had left and was walking amongst the crowd, Zancrow immediately followed pursuit and passed three girls named Chelia Blendy, Meredy, and Yukino Aguria. These were three of the prettiest girls in the village (right next to Mirajane) who all had a crush on the Flame God Slayer, and had followed him every day through town in hopes that he'd notice one of them. Zancrow, however, had no interest and only paid them attention when he needed his ego inflated. Other than that he would only pursue Mirajane, much to their dismay.

Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino: **_Look there he goes  
Isn't he dreamy?  
Mr. Zancrow  
Oh, he's so cute!_**

 ** _Be still my heart  
I'm hardly breathing  
He's such a tall, dark, strong and handsome brute!_**

As Zancrow tried to get his way through the crowd to get to Mirajane, the latter easily passed by.

Villagers: **_Hello  
Pardon  
Good day  
Mais oui  
You call this bacon?  
What lovely grapes_**

 ** _Some cheese  
Ten yards  
One pound  
I'll get the knife_**

Zancrow: **_Excuse me  
Please let me through_**

Villagers: **_This bread  
These fish  
It's stale  
They smell  
Madam's mistaken_**

Mirajane: **_There must be more than this provincial life_**

Zancrow: **_Just watch, I'm going to make her my wife!_**

However, the villagers bunched up again, blocking Zancrow from Mirajane. He struggled to find a way, before he climbed up onto the roof on a nearby house.

Villagers: **_Look, there she goes  
The girl is strange but special  
A most peculiar Charlemagne_**

 ** _It's a pity and a sin  
She doesn't quite fit in  
_** _  
_ _ **Cause she really is a funny girl  
A beauty but a funny girl  
She really is a funny girl  
Mirajane!**_

 ** _Good day!  
Bye-bye!  
See ya!  
Good-bye!  
Toodles!  
Hello!_**

Looking up from her book, Mirajane glanced behind her, only to see the people once again go about their daily business. As she continued forth, Zancrow jumped down from the rooftop and landed in front of Mirajane.

"Hello there, Mira," Zancrow gave one of his charming smiles.

"Good morning, Zancrow," Mirajane greeted politely, before Zancrow took the book from her, much to her annoyance. "Zancrow, may I have my book, please?"

"How can you read this?" Zancrow asked, flipping through the pages. "There's no pictures!"

"Well, there's a little something people use called imagination," Mirajane replied.

"Mira, it's about time you got your head out of those books and paid attention to more important things…" Zancrow said, throwing her book into a mud puddle. "…like me." He stood over her and pompously started posing. From the side, Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino sighed lovingly. Mirajane knelt down and began to clean her book up, as Zancrow added, "Honestly, hon, the whole town's talking about it. It's not natural for a girl to read. Soon, she starts getting ideas, and thinking out loud, and stuff…"

"Wow, Zancrow, you are positively primeval," Mirajane remarked, having finished cleaning her book up and got up.

"Why, thanks, Mira," Zancrow said, putting a hand around her shoulder. "Much appreciated. Hey, what do you say we head over to my place to take a look at my trophy collection? For several years, I've slain the most terrifying monsters in Fiore and hung them on my wall to display my might as a Flame God Slayer. My training with Master Hades finally paid off. I'm the most popular guy in town, and you're the most beautiful. Showing off my talents will be a treat."

"Maybe some other time..." Mirajane suggested, as Zancrow led her away.

On the side, Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino looked on in disbelief and anger. It infuriated them that the most handsome man in town had chosen the most oblivious girl in town (who obviously wasn't interested).

"What's with her? Why doesn't she just go to the tavern?" Chelia asked.

"She's crazy! I'd give my right foot for a chance to spend time with Zancrow!" Meredy cried.

Yukino merely sighed, "He's so gorgeous..."

Mirajane broke away from Zancrow and said, "Please, Zancrow, I can't. I have to get home to help my little brother and sister. See you later."

Kain, who had finally caught up to Zancrow, laughed at Mirajane, "Ha! Your little bro and sis? You mean those crazy Take-Over Siblings?" He added sarcastically, "Yeah, sure! They're one of the only people in this village using magic, next to Zancrow, but they're total embarrassments! It's no wonder Elf-boy can't get a girl! And Lizzie's Take-Over Magic makes her look like a chicken! A big, ugly chicken!" He laughed again.

Mirajane frowned, "Hey! Don't talk about my brother and sister that way! And it's Elfman and Lisanna!"

"Yeah! Don't talk about her brother and sister that way! And it's Elfman and Lisanna!" Zancrow shared Mirajane's frown and conked Kain on the head.

"Elfman and Lisanna are not crazy," Mirajane reminded angrily. "They are total experts in Take-Over Magic!"

No sooner had she said that, an explosion occurred at the cottage, causing smoke to pour out of the windows and chimney. Worried, Mirajane rushed toward the house while Zancrow and Kain fell onto their sides laughing.

* * *

"Lisanna! Elfman!" Mirajane cried as she arrived at home. She opened the cellar and cringed as smoke poured out. "Where are you?" In the basement, an 18-year old muscular man wearing a outfit reminiscent of a Japanese high-school student was stuck in a barrel, with his left arm transformed into the claw of a reptile. He is Elfman Strauss, Mirajane's younger brother who is struggling to keep his Take-Over powers in check.

"Over here!" cried a 17 year-old girl wearing a dark red dress paired with a white collar and bow, pale pink fabrics around her arms, gold rings above her elbows, tall black socks, and brown shoes. Her name is Lisanna Strauss, Mirajane and Elfman's younger sister, who tried to get Elfman out of the barrel. "Hold still, Big Brother Elf. The more you struggle, the more it's going to hurt."

Mirajane coughed, "What's going on with you two?"

"I was asking the same thing!" Elfman shouted. "What's going on with us? My Take-Over skills aren't functioning properly for like, the third time this week! And THAT is not manly!" He pulled the barrel off his waist along with his pants, and before long, his Reptile Arm returned to a normal human arm.

"You know what they say, if first you don't succeed, you just have to try again," Lisanna reminded. "You need a little more practice."

"But we've got tomorrow before the talent show starts!" Elfman complained. "This is the last day of practice we've got! At this rate, I'll never get to make a full-body Take-Over, never win the talent show, and never get to win the 500,000 Jewel reward! Not manly!"

"Alright, when was the last time you tried a full-body Take-Over?" Mirajane asked sternly, placing her hands on her hips. "I knew that eating healthy foods comes first before you practice. Which you probably should."

Elfman rolled his eyes, "Relax, Big Sis. You've been making sure I eat every day since we moved in here. Besides, you haven't even been…" His eyes caught sight of the setting sun behind Lisanna. "Gone that… long." He blushed, "Uh, huh. Oops."

"Is that so?" Mirajane asked with a raised eyebrow. "What did you eat this time?"

"Just the usual things," Elfman replied. "Pineapples, bananas, a slice of roast beef, and a drink of water."

Mirajane giggled, "Oh, I see. You eat before your practice, and you keep trying and trying until you get it, right. So, what happened to you?"

Lisanna explained, "Big Brother Elf was about ready to give up on attempting a full-body Take-Over."

"He always say that," Mirajane stated.

"He means it this time!" Lisanna pointed out. "Every attempted failure leads Big Brother Elf to disappoint himself more and more, and that includes losing all his self-esteem! He thinks he'll never win the talent show tomorrow!"

"Don't be ridiculous! I know he can do it!" Mirajane fretted. "Elfman's a very strong and brave person. We just need to have faith in him, and I'm sure he'll get it right this time." She turned to Elfman, "Elfman, don't strain yourself. You need to stay focused and do your best. If you do, you'll win first prize at the talent show tomorrow." Elfman refused to listen at first, until Mirajane added, "If we're lucky, we'll receive a reward of money and earn a lifetime membership in a Legal Guild."

"You really believe that, Big Sis?" Elfman asked.

"I always have," Mirajane smiled warmly.

"And so have I," Lisanna added. "Because you're a real man."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Elfman grinned. "Let's get to it! I have to be a real man to finish my training." He stood and performed a hundred swats for a warm-up exercise.

Lisanna asked, "So how are you, Mira? Are you having a good time in town today?"

"I got a new book. It's my favorite: _Rave Master_ ," Mirajane explained.

"My favorite, too!" Lisanna smiled, before she laughed with Mirajane. "The only copy I got from the library is _Pickled Plum Pals: Imagination Land._ "

"Lisanna, there's something I have to ask you. Do you think I'm… odd?" Mirajane asked.

"My big sis, odd?" Lisanna raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you get that idea? You're the eldest in the family. It kinda comes with the territory."

Mirajane laughed weakly, before she said, "I'm serious, Lisanna. To almost every person in town, they think I'm an oddball because I'm a book lover and a wisher for my own adventures. One of the few exceptions is Mr. Yajima and Roubaul."

"And what about that Zancrow guy?" Lisanna asked. "He's a handsome Flame God Slayer who beat up a lot of monsters. All the girls are madly crazy in love with him."

"Oh, sure. He's handsome and a total playboy," Mirajane said sarcastically. "And rude and conceited and…" She then sighed, "He isn't right for me. He's only nice to me because he thinks I'm a pretty face."

"That's because Zancrow's got such a pretty face as well," Lisanna quipped. "Just be happy that on top of having a pretty face, you've got smarts, unlike those three fangirls drooling over Zancrow."

Mirajane's laugh was genuine this time around, "It's reasons like these that explain why you don't have a boyfriend!"

Lisanna shrugged, "That's because right now, I'm married to what Big Brother Elf's doing right now. His full-body Take-Over's gonna be the start of a new life for us."

"Okay, I think I'm all fired up," Elfman said, having finished his workout. "Let's give it a try."

Focusing all of his magic and strength combined, Elfman stretched out his arms with his fists clenched and gave a mighty scream, a powerful light shining beneath him. Suddenly, the light got brighter, and when it faded, Elfman had transformed into… into… a crimson horned beast!

Lisanna exclaimed, "Oh, my gosh! He did it! He really did it!"

Mirajane added, "A full-body Take-Over: Beast Soul!" The fully transformed Elfman let out a loud roar to make his point. "It works!"

"It… It does?" Elfman said, looking at his transformed self through a reflection in the mirror. His shocked expression turned into an excited smile, "It does!" He is definitely going to win first place in the talent show for sure!

"Hooray!" Mirajane and Lisanna cheered happily. "You did it! You did it!"

"Better hitch up Parakeet, girls," Elfman announced cheerily. "Cause I'm off to the talent show! WHOA!" But then, he tripped and fell onto the floor with a groan.

 **A while later…**

"I'll take care of the house from here," Mirajane offered, and she seized Lisanna and Elfman into a hug. "Promise me you two will be careful. You know how crazy those forest paths can be."

"Don't worry, Mira," Lisanna assured her sister. "We'll be fine."

"Good," Mirajane replied, watching Lisanna and Elfman climb onto the back of their stallion named Parakeet. She saved, "Good-bye, guys! Good luck, Elfman! Go get that first prize!"

"Good-bye, Mira!" Lisanna called, waving back. "Take care while we're gone!"

"See you around!" Elfman added, waving back as well.

And thus, the two siblings rode off, little did they know their direction was about to take a complete 180...


	3. Arrival at Fairy Tail Castle

It had barely been many hours since Lisanna and Elfman left home, and they haven't even arrived at the talent show yet. While Elfman was still riding the horse Parakeet, Lisanna sat with her hand slumped to her cheek, bored. Having a sense of direction was not her big brother's cup of tea. Speaking of which, a nice hot drink, as a matter of fact, would've been most welcome. Parakeet was starting to nervously take in his surroundings, whilst Elfman would have to consult the map for directions, since they were stuck wandering through a dark, murky glen.

Elfman was busy examining the map, "That's strange. I could've sworn we're at the talent show right about now. Getting late for the show is not manly."

"Maybe we missed a turn or something," Lisanna guessed. "I knew we should've taken the pathway far from the forest…" Just then, the Strauss siblings stopped their horse at a fork in the road. "Wait a minute…" She and Elfman looked at the signs that read, 'Fairy Tail' and 'Blue Pegasus.'

Parakeet just stared at the sign and was about to turn left, until Elfman stopped him and pointed to another direction, "Let's go this way, Liz."

Lisanna asked, "Do you have any idea where we're going?" Even Parakeet was concerned, as he did a double take at the road Elfman wanted to go down. It was dark, foggy, and spooky as well as overgrown. The other road, however, looked pleasant and more inviting than the other path. Lisanna noticed Parakeet turning in the direction of the pleasant road, "Looks like Parakeet wants to take us that way. It looks safe and much open to me."

Elfman yanked Parakeet down the dark and spooky path and fretted, "Come on, Liz, it's just a shortcut! According to the map, it should get us there in no time. Cause a real man's got eyes of steel!"

Lisanna shrugged, "If it really says so on the map, why would I argue? Let's check it out."

Reluctantly, Parakeet obeyed and had no choice but to take the spooky path. As they did, it's only a short way down the road before it ended abruptly at a thorny bush with no other road in sight. As Elfman checked the map again, Parakeet was becoming more and more frightened by the array of strange sounds echoing around them. Low growling noises were the most louder of the sounds.

"This can't be right," Elfman examined the map further. "Where's Parakeet taken us?"

Lisanna glared at him in annoyance, "Where's Parakeet taken us? You were the one who insisted on going this way!"

Elfman started to back the cart away, "Best if we'd turn around… Parakeet?" But Parakeet was too scared to listen and began to back up faster than he should as the howls continued. "Whoa, Parakeet! Easy!" He then banged the cart against a tree, causing a swarm of bats to fly out and swarm around Lisanna and Elfman's heads.

Lisanna screamed, "Aaaah! Get them off me!"

"Hold on, Lisanna!" Elfman shouted, and he glared at the bats, "Shoo! Go away, you winged freaks! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Lisanna held on tightly to the cart while Elfman swats the bats away. However, Parakeet let out a frightened neigh and darted head-first off the road and into the woods. The two siblings hung on for dear life while begging Parakeet to slow down. Finally, they did but not before nearly running over the edge of a cliff. "WHOA-WHOA-WHOA! Back up, Parakeet! Back up! Back up! Back up!" Elfman exclaimed, pulling on the reigns. Parakeet managed to reel away from the cliff, but was still nervously fidgeting around. "Steady, now. Steady."

Then more growls and howls rang through the air, causing Parakeet to freak out. He fearfully reared and threw Lisanna and Elfman off his back, causing the lantern to shatter at their feet. The frightened horse galloped off in full speed into the night with the cart still attached to him, and disappeared.

"Ouch…" Elfman moaned as he rubbed his backside. He then stood up with Lisanna.

Lisanna called out, "Parakeet? Parakeet!" No response.

"I don't think he heard us," Elfman assumed.

Lisanna sternly placed her hands on her hips, "Thanks a lot, Big Brother Elf! Parakeet was scared away because you took that scary pathway! And we're stuck in the middle of these woods!"

Elfman chuckled nervously, "Sorry. Maybe I should've listened to that horse. Anyway, we gotta keep going. The talent show's gotta be around here somewhere."

No sooner had they begun to advance, the two siblings heard twigs snapping followed by another series of howls and growls.

"Is that your stomach growling, Big Brother Elf?" Lisanna asked nervously as she hid behind Elfman.

Elfman replied uneasily, "I don't think so…"

Just then, out of the bushes appeared a trio of wolves with sharp teeth, long claws, a bushy tail, and a large furry mane. But these aren't just any ordinary wolves!

"Lion-Wolves!" Lisanna screamed. As stated in Earth-land's revered zoology, Lion-Wolves are the mixture of a lion and a wolf: the body of a lion and the instinct of a wolf. Though a Lion-Wolf's body is huge in size, it usually attacks its prey at night.

"Stand back!" Elfman shouted. "I'll protect you! **Beast Arm: Iron Bull!** " He transformed his left arm into a large metal fist, thereby increasing his punching power. With that, Elfman incapacitated the Lion-Wolves, one-by-one, with Lisanna cheering her big brother on. However, for every Lion-Wolf taken down, two more seemed to take a fallen one's place.

Just as Elfman begins to show signs of fatigue, the remaining Lion-Wolves concerned both him and Lisanna. "It's no good! There's too many of them! Let's hit it!" he cried. The two eventually ran off with the Lion-Wolves in close pursuit. During the chase, Lisanna misplaced a step, bumped into Elfman, and the two stumbled down a hill before they landed in front of a pair of iron gates. The Lion-Wolves quickly approached and the two siblings frantically tried to open the gates.

"Help!" Lisanna shrieked as she and Elfman banged on the gates. "Is someone there? Help us!"

"Come on!" Elfman added. "Be a real man and let us in! I'm low on Magic Energy here!"

Suddenly, the gates opened all by themselves, and Lisanna and Elfman fell through. Once they were through, Elfman quickly slammed the gate shut with his foot, causing the Lion-Wolves to slam into it. Lisanna tried to crawl, but yelped as a Lion-Wolf grabbed her foot with his mouth, until Elfman kicked it away.

And just like that, the Lion-Wolves made their retreat. Elfman and Lisanna looked up and gasped at what they saw. At the end of the courtyard towering high above the trees, stood a very large, dark, ominous castle, illuminated by flashes of thunder casting off its dark shadows. The most notable feature is the symbol of a fairy with a tail emblazoned at the center of the castle. As the two siblings were mesmerized, a storm streaked and heavy rain started pouring down. Seeing they had no choice, Lisanna and Elfman ran across the courtyard to the front door. Elfman knocked it, and after a minute, the door opened on its own for the two to walk in.

Nervously, Lisanna and Elfman stepped inside what they assumed to be the main hall of the castle. The entire inside of the castle was as dark and dreary as the outside, but within its shadows, a stream of majestic furniture and paintings befitting for a royal king, or a prince. The only sign of light within the darkness was a lit candelabra sitting next to a wooden clock on a table.

"Hello?" Lisanna called out. "Anybody home?"

"Aw, look at the poor guys," the voice of a 17-year old male whispered. "They must've lost their way in the woods."

"Keep quiet, Pyro!" a voice belonging to an 18-year old hissed. "Maybe they'll go away."

"You saw them out there! They would've been Lion-Wolf meat if I hadn't let them in. Seriously, Gray, you're making way too big a deal outta this."

"Too big a deal?! You've let strangers into our castle, Natsu! Why do you always have to be problematic?" the second voice argued.

"What do you mean, problematic?" the first voice growled. "You know I'm bad with math!"

"I mean that you're always being a problem! Like, the last time you set the master's drapes on fire?"

"I wasn't used to these candles yet, alright? That one doesn't count!"

"Okay, what about the time you set the kitchen on fire?"

"I was hungry! And steamed rice balls sounded good at the time…"

"And don't forget when you set ME on fire, Ash-for-Brains!"

"Well, that was just funny," the first voice said sarcastically. "All that aside, you should see this great opportunity. We get to serve our first visitor in a long time! And that girl beside that muscular man… Could she be a certain something we've…?"

The second voice scoffed, "For all I know, they could be robbers or convicts."

"Now that's just plain ridiculous!" the first voice scoffed. "Besides, he could also be the milkman."

"Since when did an enchanted castle get milk, Hot Head?!" the second voice yelled. Just then, it gasped, "They're on to us! Quick, act natural!"

"Hello?" Lisanna called out. "Is someone there? Hello!"

"Hey!" Elfman shouted. "If anyone in this place is a real man, speak up! We're stuck here!"

Lisanna snapped, "Big Brother Elf, be quiet! You'll wake them up! For all I know, they could be sleeping!"

On the table, the owner of the first voice that had whispered was the candelabra with salmon hair-like wax. The owner of the second voice was the wooden clock with black hair.

"Not a word, Natsu," the clock hissed. "Ya hear me?"

Lisanna called, "Sorry about that, everybody. My big brother and I didn't mean to disturb you, but we lost our horse, and we need a place to stay for the night. I promise we'll leave first thing in the morning."

"C'mon, Gray. Why don't you have a heart for once?" the candelabra Natsu whispered to the clock Gray. Gray shushed him and covered his mouth, but Natsu held his candle under Gray's hand until he yelped in pain and pulled away his burning palm. He smiled, "Of course, kind sir and madam! You're welcome here!"

"Who said that?" Elfman looked around suspiciously. "Show yourself!"

"Over here!" Natsu called, before he tugged on Elfman's pants. Elfman looked down and Natsu greeted him and Lisanna cheerfully, "Hello."

Lisanna and Elfman gasped and jumped back, surprised that a candelabra— an inanimate object— speak to them! "Ouch!" Natsu exclaimed. "You're busting my candles over there!"

Lisanna exclaimed, "Wow… You talked!"

Elfman added, "I've never seen a candlestick talk before. Somebody in this place must've been a man to bring them to life."

Natsu chuckled, "So what if I am a talking candlestick?"

Gray growled as he hopped over, "Oh, now you've done it big time, Pyro. That's just peachy." But then, he yelped as Lisanna picked him up.

"A clock can talk, too!" Lisanna said astonished. "How is this possible?"

"The power of science, man!" Elfman theorized. "The power of science!"

"Hey! Put me down!" Gray said indignantly. "Put me down, or I'll…"

"Sorry about that," Lisanna apologized. "It's just that we've never seen a clock that can—" Suddenly, she sneezed at Gray's face, and Gray wiped the dust off his face using the clock arrows on his face as a windshield.

"You guys must be soaked to the bone," Natsu assumed. "C'mon, let's get you some heat by the fireplace."

"Finally!" Elfman shouted with relief. "Some rest and relaxation for the day! That's MANLY!"

Lisanna simply thanked with a sigh of relief, "Thank you. It'll be appreciated if you help us."

Natsu led Lisanna and Elfman towards a den, much to Gray's dismay as he frantically followed. He shouted, "No, no, no! As head of the household, I won't allow it! You know what the master would do if he found them here?" What Natsu, Gray, Lisanna, and Elfman failed to realize was a dark shadow watching from a walkway, before it sped off.

"I demand that you stop… right… there!" Gray shouted, tugging on Elfman's leg, but lost his grip and tumbled down the three stairs. Once he recovered, he gasped when he saw Natsu guiding the Strauss siblings over to a large chair near the fireplace.

"Oh, no!" Gray cried. "Not the master's chair!" Suddenly, a footstool named Happy, who had originally been an Exceed, happily rushed past Gray, who said fearfully, "I'm not seeing this, I'm not seeing this!"

The footstool came up to Lisanna and Elfman sitting together at the large chair. He said, "Aye! This is Happy, Fairy Tail Castle Royal Servant, at your service!"

Lisanna giggled, "Well, hello there, Happy! You're like a bluebird of happiness!"

"Aye!" Happy cheered, and he propped himself up under Lisanna and Elfman's feet.

Then, a hat hanging stick named Macao Conbolt wrapped a blanket around Lisanna and Elfman, and said, "A blanket for the pretty lady and the muscle guy!"

Lisanna admired, "Wow!"

Elfman added, "Now that's what I call manly service!"

"Whoa! Are my eyes deceiving me?" The source of the voice came from a feather duster with a pink bow and blonde hair. She jumped onto Elfman's leg and looked up at the two siblings with bright brown eyes. "It is! Real life people in the castle! Oh, and welcome to Fairy Tail Castle, the most enchanting place on Earth-land. Can I help you?"

Lisanna blushed, "First a candlestick, a clock, a footstool, a hat hangar, and now a feather duster?"

Elfman added with tears in his eyes, "Why does everything have to be so enchantingly manly?!"

"Lucy, would you leave them alone?" Natsu asked the feather duster. "You might give them a cold with your feathers."

"I didn't hear you complaining about my cute looks yesterday in the pantry," Lucy said defensively, before smiling back at Lisanna and Elfman, "Forgive me, sir and madam. He's just a big hothead."

"I heard that!" Natsu snapped.

"Alright, that's it!" Gray yelled. "This has gone on far enough! I'm in charge here, and I say—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a tea cart rolled into the room with a screech, running him over. It was steered by a large teapot with crimson long hair named Erza Scarlet, and assisted by two small teacups named Wendy Marvell and Romeo Conbolt.

"Hello there, good sir and madam," Erza greeted. "My name is Erza Scarlet, and these are my assistants Wendy and Romeo. How would you like a nice cup of tea? It'll warm you two up in no time." She poured some tea into the two teacups.

Gray protested, despite being facedown, "No! No tea! NO TEA! They'll be here all night!"

Erza replied, "But Gray, tea warms the soul as it soothes the body. Exactly what an exhausted traveler needs."

Natsu agreed, "Tea's your solution to everything."

Romeo laughed heartedly, "Because tea IS the solution for everything!" He turned to his father Macao, "Oh, hi, Dad!"

Macao greeted with a smile, "Hi, son!"

"We'll take some, thank you," Lisanna acknowledged, and she and Elfman tipped their mouths into the cups Wendy and Romeo. As the two sipped the tea, Wendy and Romeo laughed, feeling ticklish.

Wendy giggled, "Their sips tickle, Miss Erza!"

Romeo blushed, "Sorry about that, sir. Hope we didn't startle ya. Hey, we haven't heard your names! What are yours?"

Lisanna began, "Well…"

Suddenly, the doors to the den slammed open and a strong gust of wind blew into the room, extinguishing the fire in the fireplace. Natsu, Lucy, and Macao turned in horror, while Gray dove for cover beneath a rug and Erza started to shiver. Wendy and Romeo immediately hid behind Erza.

"Uh-oh…" the two kids exclaimed.

Lisanna trembled in terror with Elfman's arms around her body, as a large shadow suddenly loomed over the room. Remember the lightning beast mentioned in the prologue? That's him right now. He has a large body, sharp claws and fangs, yellow dragon-like scales around his arms and legs, white skin, a yellow hair with numerous spiky strands pointing backwards though some falls down in a small tuft on his forehead, large horns, a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his right eye, and was wearing a velvet cape around his neck. The beast entered the room with a suspicious growl, a flurry of thunder and lightning flickering around his body.

" **There's a stranger here…** " the beast said in a dangerously low voice.

"Master, I can explain everything," Natsu began. "The muscle guy and the cutie girl were lost in the woods. They were chased by Lion-Wolves so I thought—"

Unfortunately, he was cut short by the loud roar of the beast. The roar was so powerful that it blew out the candles in his arms and head, and forced him to frighteningly retreat against the wall.

Meanwhile, Gray nervously poked his head out of the carpet, his voice cracking slightly, "Hey, uh… Hello there, Master. Nice to see you up and about. I'd like to take this moment to say…" He then added with a serious voice, "It was Natsu's idea! He's to blame! I was against this from the start! It's all his fault! I tried to stop him, but would he listen to me? No, no, no!"

The beast roared again, making Gray cringe in terror and dive back for cover beneath the carpet.

The two siblings nervously glanced to their left, then to their right, only to see the beast glaring at them. Lisanna and Elfman yelped in terror and jumped out of the chair.

" **Who are you?** " the beast demanded. " **What are you doing here?!** "

"W-W-W-W-We were lost in the woods and—" Lisanna began frighteningly.

" **You're not WELCOME here!** " the beast snarled.

"N-N-No, I-I-I'm s-s-s-sorry… I-I-I-I r-r-r-really a-a-a-am…" Lisanna shivered, about to cry.

" **What are you staring at?!** " the beast asked angrily.

"No, nothing!" Elfman answered with a nervous chuckle. "Nothing at all!"

" **So, you've come to stare at the** ** _beast_** **, have you?** " Lisanna and Elfman frantically tried to run away, only to be blocked by the beast.

"Hey, man, it's no big deal. It's nothing personal," Elfman protested as he and Lisanna backed away. "We didn't mean to break in and enter your house. We just needed a place to stay."

" **Oh, I'll give you two a place to stay!** " the beast snarled. " **And I know just the place!** "

Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Romeo, and Macao could only watch as the beast grabbed a continuously screaming Elfman and Lisanna and dragged them away. Before the beast left, he closed the door, plunging the room into darkness.

"Well, this sucks," Macao sighed.

"Yep," Romeo agreed.


	4. Rejected Marriage Proposal

It was a bright sunny day in the village and the townspeople had gathered in the nearby park, busily making wedding preparations for their Flame God Slayer icon, Zancrow. Flowers were hung everywhere, chairs had been set up, the red carpet was put down, and a podium stood on by the priest was displayed at the center. All the wedding guests had arrived and were waiting near the table hosting the wedding feast, which consisted of various types of delicacies.

Before the well-laid plan carries out, Zancrow, dressed in a fine red-and-yellow tuxedo, and his sidekick Kain Hikaru, were peeking through a bush with a view of Mirajane's house.

"Oh, boy," Kain said eagerly. "Mirajane's gonna be in for the surprise of her life, huh, Zancrow?"

"Yes," Zancrow nodded with a confident smirk. "This is her lucky day!" He stepped away from the bush, letting go of a branch, which smacked Kain in the face. Zancrow walked out of sight of Mirajane's house and cleared his throat in front of the wedding guests, "I'd like to thank you all for coming to my wedding. But first, I better go in there and… propose to the girl!"

The priest Richard Buchanan and the wedding guests laughed at his announcement. Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino, on the other hand, were brimming with tears in front of Zancrow.

"Oh, Zancrow!" Chelia cried, grabbing his arm. "Please say it isn't true!"

"It can't be true!" Meredy yelled, grabbing his leg.

"For the love of Libra, please say it isn't true!" Yukino pleaded as she clung to his shirt.

"It's true," Zancrow said confidently. "Sorry, ladies, but this extremely handsome bachelor's gonna be an extremely handsome married man."

All three girls instantly dropped to their knees and started crying their eyes out, clinging desperately to Zancrow's legs, but Zancrow ignored them and pressed on until the girls' hands completely lost their grip, and they continued to cry.

Zancrow turned to Kain, "Now, Hikaru, let's go over the instructions again. When Mirajane and I come out that door…"

"Oh, I know! I know!" Kain cried excitedly. "I strike up the band!"

He turned and began directing the band in 'Superquick A (from SpongeBob SquarePants),' until Zancrow slammed a tuba over Kain's head. He snapped, "Not yet, you idiot! And this is the wrong song!"

"Sorry!" Kain apologized from inside of the instrument, with his lips sticking out of the mouthpiece.

* * *

Inside, Mirajane sat in her favorite chair happily reading her new book. She was almost done with when she heard a loud knock on the door. Putting the book down, she went to the door and looked through the peephole. Her smile quickly faded when she saw it was Zancrow, who was admiring himself in a small mirror and grinning smugly. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Hey, Mira," Zancrow greeted as he came in without invitation.

"Zancrow," Mirajane said anxiously. "What a nice… surprise."

"Isn't it, though?" Zancrow showed off his flashy smile. "I'm just full of surprises. Speaking of, I've got you a little present." He then reached into his pocket and handed her a small package.

"How sweet," Mirajane said awkwardly as she ripped off the paper to reveal a miniature portrait of Zancrow. "It's… you."

"I knew you'd like it," Zancrow stroke a pose. "And it shows off my good side."

"Gee, thanks," Mirajane thanked nervously.

"Oh, don't mention it," Zancrow grinned, putting his arm around Mirajane. "You know, Mira, there's not a girl in town who would love to be in your shoes right now."

Mirajane lifted Zancrow's arm off her shoulder and inched away, "Really? And why's that?"

"Because this is the day—" Zancrow paused in front of a mirror to lick his teeth clean, before he continued, "This is the day all your dreams come true."

"What do you know about my dreams, Zancrow?" asked Mirajane.

"Plenty!" Zancrow smirked. "In fact, I know more than you. Just picture this…" He sat down at the chair, propping his feet up on the table with his muddy boots on top of Mirajane's book, much to her disgust. "You and me, in a penthouse in Akane Resort, waiters and waitresses serving us succulent foods, some foods cooked by myself, such as a few animals caught during my regular hunting seasons roasted by my flames, and my little wife massaging my feet…" Mirajane looked anything but enthusiastic as she plugged her nose. Zancrow continued, "…while the little ones play fetch with the dogs." He got up next to her face, "We'll have six or seven."

"Dogs?" Mirajane asked nervously.

"No, Mira," Zancrow shook his head. "Strapping boys, like me!"

"Imagine that…" Mirajane said uncomfortably after she cleaned her book up and placed it on the shelf.

Zancrow followed her over to the bookshelf, "And do you know what that little wife will be?"

"Let me think," Mirajane wondered.

"You, Mira," Zancrow answered, cornering her.

Mirajane ducked under Zancrow's arms and backed towards the door. She stuttered, "Zancrow, I… I'm… I'm speechless." Zancrow shoved aside a rocking chair, as Mirajane added, "I really don't know what to say."

"Say you'll marry me," Zancrow grinned devilishly as he trapped her against the door.

"Oh, I'm very sorry, Zancrow. I really am. But it's just… I just..." Just as Mirajane reached the doorknob behind her, she added with a serious tone, "I just don't deserve you!" With that, she seized the doorknob, opened the door, and forced Zancrow to roll down the stairs and fall face-first onto a large mud puddle.

Suddenly, the wedding band started playing 'Here Comes the Bride.' They played for a good five minutes before Kain finally turned around to see Zancrow's legs sticking out of the puddle, with his self-portrait and boots tossed out of the door by Mirajane before she closed it. Zancrow came out of the mud with a pig on top of his head and a frustrated look on his face. The pig tilted Zancrow's head and slid down his back.

Stopping the band, Kain turned to Zancrow who was angrily wiping all the mud off his face. He asked, "So, um… how'd it go?"

"How ya think?!" Zancrow yelled at Kain as he stood back up. Just then, the three girls came running up the pathway and gasped upon seeing Zancrow covered in mud, his tuxedo dirty and droopy.

"Oh, Zancrow!" Chelia exclaimed charmingly. "What did she do to you?"

Resuming his charming demeanor, Zancrow slicked back his muddy hair and smiled charmingly at the girls, "Oh, you know that Mirajane… she's always playing hard to get."

The girls looked at each other, then back at Zancrow in shock, "She turned you DOWN?!"

"For now!" Zancrow said defensively, before he grabbed Kain by the tights, "But I WILL have Mirajane for my wife. Make no mistake about that!"

He dropped Kain into the puddle and stormed off, as Kain commented to the pig, "Touchy." The pig snorted in agreement.

Grabbing his muddy boots and self-portrait, he walked past the girls and back to the village with an angry scowl plastered on his face.

The three girls Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino stopped to think for a moment when Chelia said, "Wait a sec! If she turned him down… then maybe I still have a chance!"

"So do I!" Meredy added enthusiastically.

"And me!" Yukino gushed. "Zancrow, wait up!" The three girls then raced each other down the hill and into the village after Zancrow.

"Is he gone?" Mirajane wondered as she looked out the door. She had been waiting around for fifteen minutes, hoping Zancrow had left so she could feed the animals. Grabbing the feeding bucket on the side, she proceeded to the pen to feed the animals, while thinking back to Zancrow's wedding proposal with feelings of disgust. "Can you imagine? He asked me to marry him! Me! The wife of that boorish, brainless…"

Mirajane: **_Mrs. Zancrow, can't you just see it?_**  
 ** _Mrs. Zancrow, his little wife_**

As she was feeding the chickens, she put a cloth over her head and kicked the top of a barrel, startling the chickens.

 ** _No sir, not me  
I guarantee it  
I want much more_** **_than this provincial life!_**

Feeling angry about Zancrow, Mirajane ran away from the pen towards an open field overlooking a cliff side. Gazing at the beautiful landscape and the wonderful lands laying far beyond it, Mirajane wanted more than ever to get away from the boring village and travel to places far more exotic and exciting. Away from the judging townsfolk, away from the conceited Zancrow, and away from her trivial and mundane provincial way of life.

 ** _I want adventure in the great wide somewhere_** ** _  
I_** ** _want it more than I can tell_**  
 ** _And for once, it might be grand_** ** _  
To have someone understand_** ** _  
I want so much more than they've got planned…_**

Mirajane sat down and plucked a dandelion, the wind blowing the seeds away into the sky. As she began to daydream, she heard a loud frantic neigh from the nearby forest. Turning around, she spotted Parakeet racing towards her, the cart still attached to him.

"Parakeet!" Mirajane exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Looking onto the horse's back, she noticed there's nobody riding him. "Where's Lisanna? And Elfman? Where are they, Parakeet?" She immediately got to work on unhitching Parakeet from the cart. "Do you remember the last place you saw them?" Thinking briefly, Parakeet nodded and gestured her to get on.

Smiling, Mirajane quickly ran back inside, making sure to grab her cloak before leaving. She then jumped onto Parakeet's saddle and grabbed the reins. "Alright, let's go find them, and fast!" With a flap of the reigns, Parakeet rode off into the distance.


	5. Trading Freedom

Without the cart holding him down, Parakeet was able to gallop swiftly into the forest and find the cliff side where she last saw Lisanna and Elfman, the ground littered with shards of the lantern's broken glass. Quickly, Mirajane jumped off and started looking around for clues as to where could her siblings have gone. The only clues she could find were a short trail of faded footprints that led to a small path towards the palace her brother and sister had found.

After tracing the source, Mirajane looked up in amazement as she walked towards the gate leading to Fairy Tail Castle. Having only seen others like it in her book, Mirajane was awestruck to see that a castle this big and well-designed could exist. "What is this place?" She wondered.

Just then, a wind blew through, rattling the gates and startling Parakeet, who began to get fidgety. Mirajane dismounted and calmed the frightened horse down, "Steady, Parakeet… Steady…" She then spotted something on the ground. Picking it up, she recognized it as Lisanna's blue scarf, which she accidentally left behind after the Lion-Wolves attacked. This could only mean one thing.

"Lisanna… Elfman…" With no time to lose, Mirajane starts to open the iron bars and enter the castle. "Stay here, Parakeet. I'll go inside."

 **Inside the castle…**

Gray was venting all his agitation out on Natsu, who was still in thought after the events that occurred hours ago.

"Couldn't keep quiet, could we?" Gray said sarcastically while pacing about. "Just had to invite them to stay, didn't we? Serve them tea, sit in the master's chair, pet the pooch!" When Natsu didn't respond, Gray groaned in frustration, "Hey, are you even listening to me, Pyro?!"

"Huh?" Natsu looked up. "Oh, I'm sorry. You were saying something about the hot oven?"

Smacking a palm to his face, Gray shook his head in disbelief, "What's with you, Natsu?! You've been out of it ever since those guys were thrown in the dungeon! I told you letting them in was a bad idea!"

"Well, excuse me, Gray, for trying to be hospitable," Natsu retorted.

 **Down in the foyer…**

The door opened and Mirajane entered, calling out, "Hello? Is anyone here?" She wandered around the castle, "Hello? Lisanna? Elfman? Are you there?"

 **Inside the kitchen…**

Erza was refilling herself full of hot water, sitting comfortably on top of the cooking stove, which was actually the castle chef Gajeel Redfox.

"So now the muscle guy and the little girl are thrown in the dungeon?" Gajeel asked. "Must be freezing down there."

"I'm afraid so, Gajeel," Erza shook her head sadly. "And nothing we say can change the master's mind." She tossed some tea leaves under her lid, "Could you please turn up the heat a little?"

"I don't see why not," Gajeel said, adjusting his knobs so the stove flame went higher.

"Ahh… much better… Just like a pure hot spring," Erza sighed contently. "My special recipe strawberry tea should be done in no time."

Just then, there was a loud clanking noise followed by an excited Wendy and Romeo, who hopped as fast as they could onto the counter.

"Miss Erza! Mr. Gajeel!" Wendy cried. "You're never going to believe what we just saw! Not in a million years will you ever believe it!"

"There's another one in the castle!" Romeo added.

"Another guy?" Gajeel raised an eyebrow, with Erza jumping off him.

"Only this time, it's a tall girl wearing a black dress with white long hair, white hair just like the other guys we saw!" Romeo explained. "You know, before they were thrown in the dungeon?"

Erza raised an eyebrow, "I find it hard to believe. Need I remind you two not to make up such wild stories? It'll get everyone's hopes up for no reason. And aren't you supposed to be taking a bath today?"

"No, really, Miss Erza!" Wendy protested innocently. "We saw her!"

"Uh-uh-uh, not another word," Erza smiled teasingly, and she shoved Romeo and Wendy into the kitchen sink. "Into the tub. And don't forget to rinse after you soap."

Just then, there was a loud girlish squeal as Lucy swept into the kitchen. She cried, "Erza! Wendy! Romeo! You're not gonna believe this, but there's another one in the castle! Only this time, it's a beautiful girl! And she matches the color of the other two's hairs for some reason. I saw her myself, walking down the East Wing."

Wendy and Romeo surfaced from the sink, and Romeo told Erza, "See? I told ya."

Wendy added, "And Romeo's right about the girl being really pretty."

Romeo smiled teasingly at Wendy, "Almost as pretty as your blueberry hair."

Wendy giggled blushingly, "Romeo!" She joined Romeo in laughter. Erza simply smiled at them, while Gajeel rolled his eyes.

 **Meanwhile, over there…**

"Oh, yeah?" Gray glared at Natsu. "As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing but a thick-headed, devil-may-care, absent-eared, slack-jawed son of a dragon!"

"WHAT did you say, Snowman?!" Natsu angrily demanded.

"You heard me! But I figured you wouldn't have any idea what THAT meant, Ash-for-Brains!" Gray yelled, and the two get into each others' faces while a spark appears between them. They were about to duke it out, until…

"Lisanna? Elfman?"

Natsu and Gray quickly jumped off the table and raced to the doorway. When they peeked out, they gasped in shock upon realizing that the cloaked figure was actually a long white-haired girl passing by.

"Holy meatballs!" Natsu exclaimed. "Did you see that? It's a girl!"

"Well, obviously," Gray rolled his eyes. "There's another one locked up in the dungeon along with the big guy."

"Yeah, she might've been a perfect candidate, but by looking at her face, she's even more beautiful than that other girl!" Natsu said excitedly. He then jumped up and down in exhilaration, "She's the one! Our lucky girl! The girl we've been waiting for! She's here to break the spell!" He then calmed down and continued, "Yeah, the girl with the short hair is cute and all, as cute as Lucy or Wendy, but the girl with the long hair and wearing a cloak? She's perfect! 100% spell-breaking material!"

His candles all aflame with excitement, Natsu eagerly hopped after Mirajane. Gray followed, shouting, "Natsu, wait! Hold on a minute!"

* * *

As Mirajane wandered down the narrow hallway, the candelabra and the clock quickly snuck up behind her and opened a door, while continuously calling her siblings' names. It felt as if there was a guiding light for Mirajane in case she got lost in the castle, since she's never been in such a place before. Gray quickly hid behind the door while Natsu hopped inside.

Mirajane looked in and spotted a shadow gliding across the wall. "Hello? Is someone here?" She ran up the stairs, "Wait, I'm just looking for my brother and sister!" Gray peeked from behind the door. Once Mirajane reached the top of the stairs, she looked puzzled when she saw no one there. "That's funny. I could've sworn there was someone…" What she failed to realize was that Natsu was hiding in a crevice in the wall, watching her and providing light in the dark room with his candles. "Is anyone here?"

After a moment, there was a faint cough followed by a familiar female voice. "Mira?"

"Is that you?" a familiar male voice added.

"Lisanna! Elfman!" Mirajane shouted recognizing the voices. Grabbing a torch, she raced towards the middle cell and knelt down as Lisanna and Elfman appeared in the cell's small opening.

"Mira!" Lisanna cried with tears falling from her eyes, happy to see her big sister again.

"Big Sis! How did you find us?" Elfman asked, reaching through the metal bars and grasping tightly onto Mirajane's hands.

"Oh, Elfman, your hands are like ice!" Mirajane exclaimed, looking at his hands. "Since when did your hands get cold?"

Lisanna explained, "Big Brother Elf and I were on our way to the talent show, until Parakeet ran away scared, and Lion-Wolves attacked. He wasted a lot of Magic Energy fighting them, and that's how he's a bit tired."

Elfman agreed, "A real man needs a lot of rest to kick back."

"But you've rested a lot, right?" Mirajane asked. "Can't you use your Take-Over Magic to bust out of this cell?"

Lisanna shook her head sadly, "We can't."

"Huh?" Mirajane raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"These cells are made of anti-magic metal," Elfman explained. "As long as we're near them, we can't use magic."

"But I can't leave you two behind!" Mirajane cried. "I've got to get you out of here!"

"Mira, listen to us," Lisanna interrupted. "You need to leave this place—"

"Who's done this to you?" Mirajane asked worriedly.

"No time to explain," Elfman said, as his eyes and Lisanna's nervously landed on something behind Mirajane. "You gotta go while you still can! Now!"

"I won't leave you," Mirajane said adamantly.

Without warning, she was suddenly grabbed by the wrist and whirled around, forcing the torch to fly out of Mirajane's hand and land onto a puddle of water, extinguishing the fire. A familiar angry voice (guess who) roared, " **WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!** "

Lisanna and Elfman screamed frantically, "Run, Mira! Run! Run! Get outta here! Go! Run!"

The room was now illuminated in darkness, save for a crack of moonlight from the windows. Mirajane looked around for the person who grabbed her, "Who's there? Who are you?"

Mirajane finally noticed the Lightning Beast darting through the shadows, but she couldn't exactly see the shape other than the small flickers of thunder and lightning around his body.

"Laxus Dreyar," the Lightning Beast introduced himself. "The master of this castle."

The beast known as Laxus moved further into the shadows. Mirajane pleaded, "I've come for my brother and sister. Please, let them out. They might catch a cold, or even worse."

"Then they shouldn't have trespassed here!" Laxus bellowed. "They entered my home uninvited, and now they must suffer the consequences!"

"But they could die!" Mirajane cried. "Please, I'll do anything!"

"There's nothing you can do about it. They're my prisoners now," Laxus replied, as he moved toward the stairs.

"There has to be something I can…" Mirajane muttered. "Wait!" She called to Laxus, who stopped at the top of the stairs. Thinking quickly, Mirajane knew there was only one way to buy her brother and sister's freedom. She walked timidly into the moonlight, "Take me instead."

"You…" Laxus said disdainfully. But then he paused for a moment, registering what Mirajane had said. His tone changed from growling anger to one filled with curiosity, "You would… take their place?"

"Mira, no!" Lisanna screamed.

"You don't know what you're doing!" Elfman yelled.

Ignoring Lisanna and Elfman, Mirajane asked Laxus, "If I did, would you let them go?"

"Yes," Laxus nodded as he looked at Mirajane. "But you must promise to stay here forever."

Mirajane thought her choice over for a moment, before she caught a glimpse of Laxus's face from a glare of light through the window. Squinting into the darkness, her curiosity got the better of her as she said, "Come into the light."

Laxus hesitated at first, but then slowly made his way into the light. Mirajane looked absolutely terrified at what she just saw; their captor was actually a hideous beast with yellow dragon-like scales around his body, large horns, sharp fangs and claws, and his notable feature was the thunder and lightning. Gasping in fright, she turned away and grabbed Lisanna and Elfman's hands.

"No, Mira!" Lisanna protested. "You can't do that!"

"Can't you at least give him some time to reconsider the deal?" Elfman added.

Mirajane realized, however, that she had no choice. She reluctantly let go of her brother and sister's hands. Standing up, she bravely approached the Lightning Beast and held her head up high.

"You have my word."

"Done!" Laxus shouted, storming past her. Overcome by her decision, Mirajane covered her face and fell to her knees. As soon as the cell was open, Lisanna rushed towards her and hugged Mirajane's body in tears.

"No, you don't really mean that," Lisanna pleaded while sobbing. "What are we going to do without you? Who will take care of us? We need you. More than anything."

Elfman agreed, "Take it from Lisanna, Big Sis. We've lived our lives together. If it weren't for you, we'd be left hungry and homeless. You don't need to—"

However, Laxus grabbed both Lisanna and Elfman, and dragged them away. Mirajane cried, "Wait!"

"Mira!" Lisanna and Elfman yelled.

"Wait!" Mirajane cried again.

The whole way down, Lisanna and Elfman's pleas fell on deaf ears. Finally outside the castle, Laxus dragged the two to a palanquin.

Lisanna pleaded tearfully, "No, please! Don't hurt our sister! Please! Do what you want with us, but just let her go!"

Elfman shouted angrily, "Only a coward would treat an innocent girl like she's nothing! Let's settle this in a fight! You and me, against a real man!"

"Sorry, muscle boy," Laxus smirked, throwing Lisanna and Elfman into the palanquin and closing the door. "Not today."

Lisanna sobbed with every bit of her voice, "NO, PLEASE! DON'T HURT MIRA! PLEASE!"

"She's no longer your concern," Laxus scoffed. He turned to the palanquin, "Reedus, take them to the village."

" _Oui_ ," the palanquin named Reedus Jonah came to life and moved down the road like a spider, despite Lisanna and Elfman's continuous pleas to be let out.

* * *

From up in the tower, Mirajane watched sadly as Reedus the Palanquin exited out of the iron gates and disappeared beneath the trees with Lisanna and Elfman still trapped inside. Crying into her arms, she didn't notice as Natsu hopped off the ledge and was watching her through the opening of the door. Having heard the whole deal, Natsu couldn't help but feel sorry for Mirajane. He decided to deal with the issue by making Mirajane's stay in the castle as bearable and comfortable as possible.

Natsu waited at the crevice in the wall for Laxus to make his way back up with growls under his breath. He nervously interrupted, "Um, Master?"

"What?" Laxus snapped, turning abruptly towards Natsu.

"You know, I was thinking… since the girl's gonna stay with us for a while, maybe you might want to offer her a more... comfortable room?" Natsu suggested. Laxus's only reply was a scoff in the form of a snort from his nostrils that extinguished his candlesticks. He stormed off, leaving Natsu with a nervous look on his face. "Then again, maybe not."

Opening the cell door, Laxus stepped in to see Mirajane still crying on the ground. Looking up, she turned to face him with eyes full of sadness, anger, and hurt. She cried bitterly, "You didn't even let me say good-bye. I'll never see them again. I didn't get to say good-bye."

Feeling a strange twinge of guilt overcome him, Laxus looked pitifully at Mirajane and rubbed the back of his head. Deciding to take Natsu's suggestion, he said, "I'll show you to your room."

Looking up in surprise, Mirajane wiped her tears away, "My room? But I thought—"

Laxus stuttered in annoyance, "Do you wanna… Do you wanna stay in the tower?"

"No," Mirajane shook her head.

"Then follow me," Laxus said.

* * *

Sometime later, Laxus was leading Mirajane to her new room, holding Natsu and using his candlesticks as a guiding light. As Mirajane followed close behind, she couldn't help but notice all the statues and paintings hanging on the walls. Despite the castle looking majestic on the outside, the interior seemed a lot darker and drearier by the look of the hideous sculptures, most of them looking nothing short of demons. And the light casting shadows on them didn't make them look any less scary than they already were. Mirajane silently wept at this.

Meanwhile, Laxus was starting to feel concerned for Mirajane's tears. Every time he glanced back at her, she would still be crying, and his guilt would grow stronger. He wanted to make her stop crying, but had no idea how. For now, he would always rely on Natsu, or any of his servants for that matter, for advice.

"Say something to her…" Natsu whispered to Laxus.

"Hmm? Oh," Laxus nodded silently at Natsu. He turned to Mirajane, "I… um… hope you like it here." He looked at Natsu for approval, but Natsu gestured him to continue. "Since the castle is your home, you can go anywhere you like, except the West Wing."

That caught Mirajane attention. She asked, "Why? What's in the West—"

"It's forbidden!" Laxus cut her off with a loud angry voice, much to Mirajane's fright. He heard a throat clearing from Natsu, who looked at the Lightning Beast with a stern look. Pulling back, Laxus continued to lead Mirajane to the rest of the East Wing, and stopped upon a grand set of doors. Laxus opened the doors and Mirajane stepped inside.

"This is where you'll stay," Laxus said. "Now, if you need anything, my servants will attend you."

"Psst!" Natsu whispered to Laxus. "Dinner. Invite her to dinner."

"You… what's your name?" Laxus asked. "Mir…"

Mirajane introduced herself nervously, "M-Mirajane. Mirajane Strauss."

"Good. One more thing…" Laxus declared with pure anger in his voice, albeit with a bit of nervousness in it. "You will… join me for dinner! **THAT'S NOT A REQUEST!** " Turning back, he rushed out the door and slammed it behind him.

Feeling more sorrow than she ever felt before, Mirajane ran over to the bed and flopped onto it, sobbing with all of the strength she could muster. She cried and cried at the bear thought of having made the choice of trading her freedom for her beloved brother and sister.

Her life was now shackled to a dark, dreary place ruled by a hideous beast. Probably for the rest of her life.

Or was it?


	6. Zancrow

Back at the village, the townsfolk had gathered at the local tavern for what should've been Zancrow's post-wedding party. While everyone else was eating, drinking, and making merry with each other, Zancrow sat in his chair in front of a fireplace, still upset about his failed plan to marry Mirajane.

"Who does that Mirajane think she is?" Zancrow angrily ranted. "Turning me down… That girl has tangled with the wrong man! No one says 'no' to Zancrow!"

"Ha! Darn right!" Kain agreed, coming over with two mugs of root beer.

Zancrow snatched the two mugs from Kain and continued rambling, "Dismissed! Rejected! Publicly humiliated! Why, it's more than I can _bare!_ " He angrily tossed the two mugs into the fireplace, causing a small explosion.

Kain asked, "More root beer?"

"What for?" Zancrow said despondently, turning his chair away from Kain and bowing his head shamefully. "Nothing helps. I'm disgraced."

"Who, you?" Kain exclaimed as he stood before him, holding up his head. "Never. C'mon, Zancrow, you've got to pull yourself together."

Kain: **_Gosh, it disturbs me to see you, Zancrow  
Looking so down in the dumps_**

Kain tried to make Zancrow smile, only to get punched and sent flying into a table where a couple of villagers were sitting at.

 ** _Every guy here'd love to be you, Zancrow  
Even when taking your lumps_**

At this, the villagers cheered for Zancrow, who just turned his chair back to the fireplace and continued wallowing in self pity. He was caught off guard when Kain puts an affectionate arm around his shoulder.

 ** _There's no man in town as admired as you  
You're everyone's favorite guy!  
Everyone's awed and inspired by you  
And it's not very hard to see why_**

Kain turned Zancrow's chair around and Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino swooned over Zancrow, sighing in admiration.

 ** _No one's slick as Zancrow  
No one's quick as Zancrow_**

He ripped the belt off Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki, causing his pants to fall down. Ichiya exclaimed at this, " _Man!_ "

 ** _No one's neck's as incredibly thick as Zancrow  
For there's no one in town half as manly  
Perfect, a pure paragon!  
You can ask any Ren, Eve, or Loke  
And they'll tell you whose team they prefer to be on_**

Suddenly, the Tri-Men Hibiki Lates, Ren Akatsuki, and Eve Tearm grabbed Kain and pulled him away, before they started swinging him around.

Hibiki, Ren, Eve, and Kain: **_No one's been like Zancrow!  
A kingpin like Zancrow!  
No one's got a swell cleft in his chin like Zancrow!_**

Zancrow: (smiled smugly) **_As a specimen, yes, I'm intimidating_**

Villagers: **_My, what a guy, that Zancrow!_**  
 ** _Give five hurrahs!  
Give twelve hip-hips!_**

Kain: **_Zancrow is the best  
And the rest is all drips!_**

Kain lifted his glass high in the air, but unfortunately caused root beer to splash on Zancrow's face. Realizing what he's done, Kain smiled sheepishly at Zancrow who was dripping wet and irritated. Not wanting to get his butt kicked, Kain tried to hide his cup, only to get socked in the face.

Villagers: **_No one fights like Zancrow!  
Douses lights like Zancrow!_**

Zancrow got into a brawl with the Quatro Cerberus team and bit Bacchus Groh's leg along the way.

Bacchus: **_In a wrestling match, nobody BITES like Zancrow!_**

Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino: **_For there's no one as burly or brawny_**

Zancrow lifted up the bench the girls were sitting on, showing off his muscles.

Zancrow: **_As you see, I've got biceps to spare_**

Kain: **_Not a bit of him's scraggly or scrawny_**

Zancrow dropped the bench onto Kain.

Zancrow: **_That's right!  
And that is just plain as the gold on my hair_**

On 'hair', Zancrow showed off his yellow spiky hair shining like solid gold, much to Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino's delight.

Villagers: **_No one hits like Zancrow!  
Matches wits like Zancrow!_**

Later, Zancrow was playing chess and when he lost, he slapped the chessboard in a fit of anger, sending it flying.

Kain: **_In a spitting match, nobody spits like Zancrow!_**

Zancrow: **_I'm especially good at expectorating_**

He took a bite out of a leather belt and spat it out, the shot ricocheting off its surface and making Ichiya and the Tri-Men hold out boards scored 10.

Villagers: **_10 points for Zancrow!_**

Zancrow: **_When I was a kid, I ate four dozen eggs  
Every morning to help me get large_**

He juggled some eggs and swallowed them. Kain tried to do the same trick as Zancrow, but the eggs ended up landing on his face.

 ** _And now that I'm grown, I eat five dozen eggs  
So I'm roughly the size of a barge!_**

Zancrow began flexing for the crowd. All the men looked on with admiration, while the girls swooned and squealed at the sight of his muscular physique. He then shouted, " **Flame God's Bellow!** " Zancrow breathed a massive fireball of black flame at a large barrel of beer, breaking it in half and allowing the villagers to get more beer with their mugs.

Villagers: **_No one shoots like Zancrow!  
Makes those beauts like Zancrow!_**

Kain: **_Then goes tromping around wearing boots like Zancrow!_**

Zancrow walked back toward his chair with his boots making a big stomping noise, and he sat down in a relaxing manner.

Zancrow: **_I use antlers in all of my decorating_**

He gestured to his wall of the heads of many beasts he had slain or defeated.

Villagers: **_My, what a guy, Zancrow!_**

The Tri-Men carried Zancrow's chair and Kain tried to scramble away when he realized the chair was going to land on him, but it was too late. SLAM!

As the villagers continued celebrating, a huge burst of cold wind blew in, followed by a desperate and snow-covered Elfman, who ran into the tavern.

"Help!" Elfman shouted frantically. "Somebody help! We need some manly help!"

"Elfman?" the bartender Bob asked. "What's happened to you? And where's your sister Lisanna?"

"She's at our place. She's safe. I told her to stay at home and rest up," Elfman explained. "That's why I came asking for your help! He's got her! That guy's got her locked in a dungeon!"

"Who?" asked Toby Horhorta.

"Mira!" Elfman answered. "Mira's been kidnapped! Thrown in jail! We've got no time to lose, guys. We need to rescue her, and show that guy not to mess with a real man!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, Elfman," Zancrow said, getting out of his seat. "Who's this 'guy' that got Mira locked in a dungeon?"

Elfman screamed, "A beast! A totally ugly beast! He's got golden dragon scales, big horns, and lightning sparking all over his body, like a battery!"

A brief silence passed. Then, the villagers burst into loud laughter, some people falling out of their seats and rolling on the floor. Everyone was laughing, except Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino, who seemed to be interested at this "beast" Elfman tried to talk about.

"I'm serious!" Elfman protested angrily. "A real man's always serious!"

"Come off it, Elf-Boy! A beast with lightning around his body? As in, the Lightning Beast?" Zancrow asked skeptically.

"Yeah, whose leg are you trying to pull?" Kain scoffed.

"No one's!" Elfman argued. "He's real, I tell ya! We saw that Lightning Beast with our own four eyes!"

"Really?" Zancrow raised an eyebrow. "And who exactly is 'we?'"

"Me and Lisanna!" Elfman explained. "We were on our way to the talent show, then those Lion-Wolves chased us, then we made our way to a creepy old castle filled with enchantingly manly furniture, and then the beast attacked! He locked Lisanna and me in the dungeon, until Mirajane came to rescue us! But Mirajane ended up getting herself locked up, and we were brought back to town by a rickety old horse wagon! That's why I told Lisanna to stay at home until I get some help! Help from you guys!"

"Ooooh! That beast you mentioned… It is a big one?" Chelia asked eagerly.

"Huge!"

"With a long, ugly snout?" Meredy asked with interest.

"Hideously ugly."

"And sharp cruel fangs?" Yukino added.

"Yeah, that's right!"

Chelia turned to her friends Meredy and Yukino and whispered, "Did you hear that, guys? Elfman said something about a Lightning Beast in some kind of spooky castle."

"Really?" Meredy asked. "I've heard rumors of a majestic castle somewhere in the woods, and it was ruled by a benevolent prince. But when the prince died a few years ago, the castle was desolated and written off the map, and no one's ever been there or heard of it since."

Yukino stroked her chin, intrigued, "Could it be that this Lightning Beast and the castle are connected somehow? And what Elfman said about Mirajane… she might be in big trouble."

"I think so… Maybe we should help Elfman and Lisanna," Meredy suggested. "Better yet, we should let our dear Zancrow help them! He's the town hero, and he never turns down someone in need of help!"

"Yeah… you're right!" Chelia nodded in agreement, along with Yukino.

Meanwhile, Zancrow smiled, "Alright, Elfman. Relax." He gestured to Rustyrose and Zoldeo standing behind him. "Well 'help' you out."

"You will?" Elfman beamed with hope. "You'll… You'll help us?"

"Sure!" Zancrow smiled sarcastically. "After all, we're your friends. And what are friends for?"

"Oh, thanks a million, Zancrow!" Elfman grinned in relief. "You're a real man to help us!" Just then, Rustyrose and Zoldeo grabbed Elfman and pulled him forcefully towards the tavern door.

"Have a nice trip! See you next fall!" Rustyrose mocked, and he and Zoldeo threw Elfman headfirst into a pile of snow.

"That should silence him for a while," Rustyrose smirked. The villagers once again burst into laughter. The three girls, on the other hand, were not amused at this insult. Instead, it was met with shock and anger.

"Hey!" Meredy shouted. "How could he just turn him down when he came here asking for help?"

Chelia nodded, "Zancrow has never turned down someone like that before. How could he be so harsh?"

Yukino added, "And besides, since Zancrow cares about Mirajane so much, why doesn't he help her right now? Come to think of it, he cares about Mirajane more than he cares about us. He didn't even notice us."

"For like, a hundred times!" Chelia agreed angrily. "Could he NOT be interested in us?"

"That crazy old Elf-Boy did it again," Zoldeo chuckled as he and Rustyrose walked back to their table, interrupting Chelia. "He's always good for a laugh." Rustyrose smiled and nodded in agreement.

Overhearing Zoldeo's words, an idea went into Zancrow's head, and he sat down to think. "Crazy old Elf-Boy, hmm? Crazy old Elf-Boy…" He turned to Kain.

Zancrow: **_Hikaru, you know, I've been thinking_**

Kain: **_A dangerous pastime?_**

Zancrow: **_I know…  
But that wacky big clown's Mira's brother  
And his sanity's only so-so_**

 ** _Now the wheels in my head have been turning  
Since I looked at that loony big man  
See, I promised myself I'd marry Mirajane  
And right now, I'm evolving a plan!_**

He then began whispering to Kain, "If I…"

"Yes?" Kain asked curiously.

"Then we…"

"No, would she?"

"Guess!"

"Now, I get it!"

Both Zancrow and Kain shouted, "Let's go!" With that, Zancrow held Kain's hands and the two began waltzing around the room.

Zancrow and Kain: **_No one plots like Zancrow_**

Zancrow: **_Takes cheap shots like Zancrow_**

Kain: **_Plans to persecute harmless crackpots like Zancrow_**

Zancrow: **_Yes, I'm endlessly, wildly resourceful_**

Kain: **_As down to the depths you descend_**

Zancrow: **_I won't even be mildly remorseful_**

Kain: **_Just as long as you get what you want in the end_**

Zancrow: **_Who has brains like Zancrow?_**

Kain: **_Entertains like Zancrow?_**

Both: **_Who can make up these endless refrains like Zancrow?_**

Villagers: **_So his marriage we soon will be celebrating  
My, what a guy, Zancrow!_**

As the people in the tavern continued to dance and have fun, Elfman stood outside in the cold, wandering helplessly through the snow. He tried asking people in the streets to help Mirajane, but to no avail. "Will no one help us?" He wondered sadly.

On the other hand, the three girls Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino observed the scene from the tavern windows, expressing pity and high concern for Mirajane's troubled brother.

"Guys?" Chelia asked her friends. "Something fishy is going on. Something dirty, too. We need to find out what. But for now, let's help Elfman."

Meredy added, "By the terrified look in his eyes, it looks like he's honest. Like he's telling the truth. We've got to help somehow."

Yukino nodded in agreement, "The Strauss siblings are a bit crazy, but they're not that bad. What's so bad about getting to know them? Come on, girls. We've got to give him and Lisanna some company at their place." Chelia and Meredy nodded in agreement.

A few people actually believing in the Strauss family? That sounds interesting. What would happen next?


	7. Come Down to Dinner

Back at the castle, Mirajane was still weeping on her new bed when she heard a knock at the door, followed by a voice, "Hello?"

Wiping her tears away, Mirajane looked up and asked, "Who is it?"

"Erza Scarlet, dear," a kind female voice echoed from the door. "May I come in?" Getting up, Mirajane opened the door expecting to see someone outside, but was caught by surprise to see a round teapot with long scarlet hair followed by two small teacups and a footstool. "Hello there, kind miss. Sorry if we're interrupting, but I heard you crying from your room. I thought you could use some cheering up. And of course, nothing makes the world brighter than a nice warm cup of tea."

Backing away from the teapot, Mirajane stammered, "But you… you're… you're a…" She then bumped into a wardrobe which suddenly gave a small jump.

"Ouch!" Mirajane turned around, and was surprised once again to see that the large wardrobe standing next to the bed with long light blue hair could also talk... and had a face! "Whoops, careful."

"This can't be real…" Mirajane exclaimed softly, sitting on the bed.

The wardrobe leaned against the bed, causing it to sink down. She smiled, "Real life furniture and kitchen utensils, talking and moving like magic, you ask? It's the craziest thing anyone can ever hear of. Absolute madness, isn't it?" She then giggled, "Oh, don't worry, sweetie. I'm sure you'll get used to us. I'm Juvia Lockser, by the way. I'm the head of Fairy Tail Castle's dressing department."

"Fairy Tail Castle?" Mirajane asked curiously. "That's the name of this place?"

"Named after a legendary fairy with a tail," the teapot Erza smiled. "The question about fairies having tails is debatable: The question itself represents eternal mystery… a never ending adventure! Oh, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Erza Scarlet, executive administrator of Fairy Tail Castle. It's very nice to meet you."

"My name is Wendy Marvell," the little teacup Wendy introduced herself.

"And my name's Romeo Conbolt," the second teacup Romeo introduced himself as well. "Wendy and I are Miss Erza's assistants, but mostly we bring tea for Master Laxus."

"It's nice to meet you all, too," Mirajane smiled. "I'm Mirajane Strauss. But my friends call me Mira. I'm from a village somewhere far from here."

Wendy asked Erza, "I told you she was pretty, didn't I? Just like that girl we met the other day." She turned to Romeo, "Almost as pretty as my blueberry hair."

Romeo laughed playfully, "Yeah!"

"Alright, that'll do," Erza said, pouring some tea into Romeo with sugar and cream added. "Be careful now, Romeo. Don't spill."

Romeo then slowly hopped over to Mirajane, who gently picked him up. She said, "Don't mind if I do. I'm getting a bit parched." She took a sip of tea, "Mmm, this is delicious."

"Hey, you wanna see me do a trick?" Romeo asked as Mirajane finished sipping. Taking a deep breath, Romeo started blowing large bubbles out of his head, which made Wendy giggle.

Erza scolded, "Romeo! Where are your manners?"

Romeo smiled sheepishly, "Oops. Sorry."

Mirajane asked, "So, if you don't mind me asking… How is it you're all able to walk, talk, and move? I always thought objects were supposed to be inanimate."

"Well, we're not really objects—" Wendy began, but Juvia, Romeo, and Erza shushed her. Mirajane curiously stared at them, but they merely smiled back. Wendy giggled in embarrassment.

"Oh, don't concern yourself about that, my dear," Erza smiled at Mirajane. "We heard so much about what you did for your brother and sister. That was very brave."

Juvia agreed, "We all think so. Definitely one of the bravest."

Mirajane tried her best to smile again, though it deflated into a sad expression. "But I lost Lisanna, Elfman, my dreams… everything," she sniffled. "I miss my brother and sister."

"Cheer up, sweetie," Erza assured comfortingly. "I know things seem hopeless and bleak for you, but it'll turn out alright in the end. You'll see."

"And you have us here to help you anytime," Wendy added.

"You should count yourself lucky on that part," Romeo added.

Erza exclaimed with a chuckle, "Oh, goodness! I've been babbling on when there's supper to get on the table. Come, Wendy, Romeo."

"On it!" Romeo compiled.

"It's nice to meet you, Mirajane," Wendy smiled, and she followed Romeo and Erza out of the room as they left. "Bye!"

"Alright now, what should we dress you in for dinner? Let's see what I've got in my drawers," Juvia suggested. She opened up her doors, and a swarm of moths fluttered out, before she quickly shut the doors and blushed embarrassingly, "Oh! How embarrassing." She opened one of her doors, and her other door served as an arm to search through a few dresses inside. She pulled a pink dress out, and said, "Ah, here we are! You'll look ravishing in this one!"

"That's very kind of you, but…" Mirajane said. "I'm not going to dinner."

"What do you mean, 'You're not going?'" Juvia asked skeptically. "Of course you are. You heard what Master Laxus said. You must come to dinner!"

"Yeah, well, Laxus can dine all by himself tonight, because there's no way I'm leaving this room," Mirajane said stubbornly, crossing her arms and sitting on the bed. "He may be your master, but he isn't mine."

Juvia tried to reason with Mirajane, "Master Laxus has a bad temper, you know! He gets mad easily! I remember seven years ago, when I gave Laxus the clothes with the wrong color, I was thrown into the dungeon and spent three whole days." She then shrugged, "I still have the nightmares. You know what Laxus could do if he snaps? He might come after you—"

"Let him come," Mirajane still crossed her arms stubbornly. "I'll take him on. He can yell and punch and tear down the whole room, but there's no way I'm having dinner with a bully like him. Not after what he did to my brother and sister…"

Before Mirajane could continue, the door opened with Gray scuttling inside. Clearing his throat, he announced, "Dinner is served." He bowed and gave a smile in front of Mirajane.

Suddenly, upon seeing Gray, Juvia's eyes exploded with hearts. She screamed joyfully, "My beloved Gray! You don't know how happy I am to see you! Our bodies may have changed because of the spell, but my love for you never dies! It is stronger than any spell in the world!" With a gleeful cry, Juvia pounced on a screaming Gray and fell on top of him, squeezing the clock with the wardrobe's large weight.

"Can't… breathe…" Gray wheezed. "Need… air…"

On the room's mirror closet, the perfume Alzack Connell, and his wife, the hair comb Bisca Connell, looked on with sarcastic smiles. They are accompanied by their daughter, the hair clip Asuka Connell.

"Happy to see your girlfriend again, Gray?" Alzack asked.

" **SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!** " Gray protested.

* * *

Down in the dining room, Laxus was impatiently pacing about while Natsu, Lucy, and Erza watched from the mantelpiece.

"What's taking her so long?" Laxus growled. Every time he threw a glance between the door and the clock every five minutes, his impatience worsened. "I told her to come down." He turned to the others on the mantelpiece and screamed, " **Why isn't she here yet?!** "

Lucy sighed, "Don't fret about that, sir. It's normal for women to take anywhere from 15 minutes to 4 hours to get ready for dinner."

Erza agreed, "Just try to be patient, Master Laxus. Mirajane has lost her brother, her sister, and her freedom all in one day."

"I could care less about that!" Laxus scoffed stubbornly. "She asked for this! If she hadn't come here, her pathetic brother and sister would be rotting in the dungeon right now."

Natsu rolled his eyes, "That would be hard on anyone."

"It doesn't matter!" Laxus snapped. "I told her to come down to dinner, and she has to do what I say!"

Natsu interrupted, "If I have to ask you, Boss, are you positive this Mirajane girl could be the one to break the spell?"

"Well, duh!" Laxus shouted at Natsu. "Of course I know! I know she's the one for me. I'm not that dumb."

"That's good to hear," Natsu said cheerfully, "All you have to do is share a good meal with the leading lady." The candlestick on his left was lit, "You fall in love with her…" The candlestick on his right was lit, "She falls in love with you…" Then he blew the flames out, "And POOF! The spell is broken. We'll be human again by midnight!"

Erza shook her head, "I'm afraid it won't be that easy, Natsu. These things take time."

Natsu pointed out, "But the rose has already begun to wilt."

Lucy agreed, "Erza's right, Natsu. People don't fall in love just like that."

Sitting down at the floor, Laxus sighed in frustration, "It's no use. She's not gonna fall for me. She's so beautiful, and I'm… I'm… well, _look_ at me!" He gestured to himself with a loud growl.

Lucy whispered to Natsu, "He does have a point." Natsu shushed her.

Erza smiled comfortingly at Laxus, "Oh, Master… You just have to help her see past all that."

"I don't know how," Laxus groaned.

"Well, you can start by making yourself more presentable," Erza said adamantly, and she hopped from the mantelpiece to the table, with Natsu and Lucy following her. "Straighten up. Try to act like a gentleman."

Laxus obeyed, straightening himself very formally.

Natsu added, "And when she comes in, give her a dashing, debonair smile. C'mon, Boss. Show me the smile."

Laxus gave a toothy grin, full of razor sharp teeth. It was a scary, yet funny grin.

Natsu rubbed his chin, "Okay, we'll work on that later."

"But don't frighten the girl," Erza reminded him.

"Impress her with your humor and wit," Natsu said.

"Talk with her every now and then," Lucy added.

"But be gentle," Erza added, as Laxus leaned back and forth between Natsu, Erza, and Lucy.

"Shower her with compliments," Natsu dictated.

"But be sincere," Lucy tackled on.

Laxus was starting to get a headache, as Natsu added, "And above all…"

All three shouted together, " **You must control your temper!** "

Suddenly, the door started to open. Natsu cried, "There she is!"

Standing up, Laxus waited anxiously for Mirajane to come inside, but was disappointed to see that it was only Gray.

"Uh, good evening," Gray said nervously.

Laxus frowned, "Well, where is she?"

"Who? Oh, you mean, the girl?" Gray shivered. "Yes, the girl. Well, actually, she's in the process of um... circumstances being what they are…" He then gulped, "She's not coming."

The room was dead silent for a moment, before Laxus screamed loud enough to break everyone's eardrums, " **WHHHHHAAAAAATTTTT?!** "

In a burst of lightning, Laxus blew through the doors and flew towards the East Wing all the way to Mirajane's room at breakneck speed with Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy following close behind on foot. Gray yelled frantically, "Your Grace! Your Eminence! **LET'S NOT BE TOO HASTY!** "

Within moments, Laxus was in front of the door to Mirajane's room and banged loudly on it three times. He roared, " **I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO COME DOWN TO DINNER!** "

"I'm not hungry," Mirajane angrily replied through the door.

Laxus growled, " **I'm the master of this castle, and I'm telling you to come down to dinner! Right now!** "

"And I'm telling _you_ I'm not hungry," Mirajane retorted.

" **You're hungry if I say you're hungry!** " Laxus shouted.

Mirajane scoffed, "That's just stupid!"

" **What did you say?** " Laxus said angrily, his nostrils emitting a large amount of smoke and his lightning raging further.

"You can't go around ordering people to be hungry!" Mirajane snapped. "It doesn't work like that!" Laxus was about to say something, but Mirajane cut him off by adding in a matter-of-fact tone, "And besides, it's rude!"

" **Oh, yeah?! IS THAT RUDE?!** " Laxus bellowed, his lightning raging to higher levels. " **YOU'LL COME OUT, OR I'LL… I'LL… I'LL BREAK DOWN THE DOOR!** "

Natsu quickly intervened, "Um, Boss? I could be wrong, but I don't think that's the best way to win her affections."

Lucy agreed, "Shouting and breaking down the door won't help anything."

" _Please,_ " Gray pleaded. "Attempt to be a gentleman!"

"But she is being so _difficult!_ " Laxus glared, pointing angrily at the door. He said to Mirajane, "Why are you being so difficult?"

"And why are you being such a bully?" Mirajane retorted.

Laxus was getting frustrated, "Because I want you to come down to dinner!"

"Oh," Mirajane said sarcastically. "So you admit you're being a bully."

Losing the last bit of his patience, Laxus was about to break down the door and storm into the room, but Erza stopped him and calmed him down, "Now, Master. Calm down. Just stop for a moment and take a deep breath."

Shaking with rage, Laxus stepped back, took a deep breath, and allowed himself to slightly calm down.

Erza began, "Now, then. Try asking her again. But this time, gently."

Facing the door, Laxus tried to stay calm as possible. He asked, "Will you come down to dinner?"

"No," Mirajane replied simply. Laxus turned to his servants and angrily pointed at the door, but was quickly hushed before he could say anything.

"Suave, genteel," Gray advised.

Growling in frustration, Laxus tried to act formal by bowing at the door, and he talked politely through gritting teeth, "It would give me great pleasure if you would join me for dinner."

"Uh, we say, please?" Lucy mentioned through a cough.

Laxus concluded with as much politeness he could muster, "Please?"

"No, thank you!" Mirajane replied simply with a loud voice.

" **YOU CAN'T STAY IN THERE FOREVER!** " Laxus bellowed.

"Oh, yes, I can!" Mirajane snapped.

" **Fine! THEN GO AHEAD AND STAAAAAARRRVVVEE!** " Laxus roared at the top of his lungs, and it was loud enough to make Natsu and the others cringe. Laxus turned to his servants, "If she doesn't eat with me, then she doesn't eat at all!"

With that, he ran down the hallway and violently slammed the door leading out of the East Wing, the vibration causing a piece of debris to fall on Natsu's head.

"Well, that didn't go well at all, did it?" Erza asked.

Lucy shook her head in disbelief, "So much for a dinner for two. Like I said, people don't fall in love just like that."

Once Natsu had recovered, he suggested, "You guys go on ahead. I'll stand watch at the door and inform you guys at once if there is the slightest change. You can count on me." He saluted and took up a guard position at the door.

"Okay, whatever you say," Gray shrugged. He turned to Erza and Lucy as they began making their way out, "I guess we better go downstairs and start cleaning up."

* * *

Up in the West Wing, Laxus bursts through the door to his chambers and angrily flung a chair aside. He argued to himself, "I ask nicely, but she refuses! I even said please! Wh-wh-what does she want me to do? **BEG?!** " He snatched the silver magic lacrima which sat on the table next to the enchanted rose encased in a bell jar. He demanded, "Show me the girl!"

The mirror glowed and revealed a vision image of Mirajane still crossing her arms next to an anxious Juvia.

Juvia smiled, "I know Master Laxus can be foul-tempered, but underneath all the thunder and lightning around him, he's not such a bad guy. Why don't you just give him a chance?"

"Why should I?" Mirajane retorted. "Did he gave my brother and sister a chance?"

"Well, no…" Juvia admitted. "But once you get to know him—"

"I don't want to get to know him," Mirajane angrily interrupted her. "I don't want to have anything to do with him!"

As the vision ended, Laxus sighed sadly and set the magic lacrima down on the table, "I'm just fooling myself. To think someone like her could love me. She'll never see me as anything… but a monster."

Guilt and shame gnawed at Laxus's heart. Though he hadn't cried since the passing of his grandfather Makarov, Laxus felt his eyes ache as if tears could fall down from his eyes. Despairingly, he held his head with his hands. "It's hopeless."

Just then, something caught Laxus's eyes. A petal fell from the rose and landed on the table, much to his horror. "No! Not now! Think, Laxus, think! What did they say?" He paced around the room, recalling the advice his servants gave him, "'Shower her with compliments.' 'Impress her with your wit.' 'Act like a gentleman.'" Then Laxus got it, "Act like a gentleman. Act like a _gentleman!_ "

Casting one last glance at the rose, Laxus ran out of his lair. He had hoped this new idea could make amends with Mirajane.


	8. Be Our Guest

It was an hour or so after the dinner incident when Mirajane decided it was safe to venture out into the castle. Juvia and the Connells are asleep, giving Mirajane enough time to check outside. Seeing that the coast was clear, she went out into the hall, quietly closed the door behind her, and walked past a curtain where two voices were heard.

"And the Vulcan said to his wife, 'Honey, I'm ammunition for a big gun! Literally!'" cheered a male voice.

A female voice laughed, "Good one!"

Both Natsu and Lucy, who had been having a personal conversation behind the curtain, came out laughing their hearts out. The candelabra leaned on the wall and said, "So, Lucy, what do you say you and me come over to the kitchen for some snacks? Tonight's leftover night. We've got steak, pasta… What're you hungry for?"

Lucy giggled with a blush, "Oh, Natsu. You know I can't."

"Oh, yes," Natsu smirked devilishly.

"Oh, no!" Lucy blushed again as she retreated back to the curtain.

"Oh, yes!" Natsu cried happily, chasing Lucy inside the curtain.

"Oh, no!"

"Oh, yes!"

"Oh, no!"

"Oh, yes, yes, yes!"

"No, no, no!" Lucy laughed playfully, ducking under his arms. "I've been burned by you before."

Natsu wrapped his arms around Lucy, and smiled slyly, "Don't be silly. You haven't forgotten all those things I said about you back then? You and I are two of a kind. And no one can light my fire like you."

Lucy grinned seductively at Natsu, and the two were about to kiss, until Natsu suddenly dropped her upon noticing Mirajane out in the hall, heading downstairs to the kitchen.

"Spicy mackerels!" Natsu exclaimed. "She's out of the gate!" He hopped hastily after Mirajane.

Getting up from the floor, Lucy sighed in disappointment, "Another mess he's gotten himself into…" She then called to Natsu, "You know where to find me!"

Natsu called back, "I know!" As soon as he left, Lucy sighed with a smile.

 **Down in the kitchen…**

Erza guided a very tired Wendy to the cupboard filled with other teacups, which are kids' hers and Romeo's age. Opening the door, Erza said, "Alright, now, Wendy. Into the cupboard with your brothers and sisters."

Wendy yawned, "But I'm not sleepy…"

"Yes, you are," Erza smiled.

"No, I'm not. I just want to play… with Romeo… a bit more…" Wendy fell asleep before finishing her sentence.

Erza assured, "Romeo is sleeping with his father. He'll be fine. I'm sure you'll have all the time with him first thing in the morning." She closed the cupboard.

"It's not fair!" the large stove Gajeel grumbled, examining his frying pans smothered in food. "I work and I slave all day long, making the best meals in the house, and for what? A culinary masterpiece gone to waste!"

"Stop your grousing, Gajeel," Erza fretted. "It's been a long night for all of us." She smiled as she added, "But I must admit, I like Mirajane a lot. She has a lot of spunk and attitude."

"Well, if you ask me, she was just being stubborn," Gray groaned, putting away a piece of napkin into the cupboard which closed by itself. "After all, Master Laxus did say 'please.'"

"Mr. Lightning Bolt actually said the magic word?" Gajeel looked up. "Really?"

Erza nodded happily, "Yes. In fact, that may be the first time he's ever asked politely for anything. Mirajane is already having a good effect on him. Now, if only Master Laxus could learn to control his temper, we might have a chance at breaking the—"

Gray quickly cut Erza off upon noticing Mirajane coming in. "So nice to see you up and about, Miss, uh…"

"Mirajane," the latter answered. "Call me Mira."

"Mira, right, I knew that," Gray chuckled.

"Oh, hi, Erza," Mirajane greeted Erza, kneeling down. "It's nice to see you again."

Erza smiled back, "It certainly is."

Gray grinned, "What a surprise running into you here. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mirajane. I'm Gray Fullbuster, head of the household."

Mirajane gently shook Gray's hand, "A pleasure to meet you, too."

"Howdy, lady! The name's Gajeel Redfox," the large stove introduced himself. "I'm the head chef of Fairy Tail Castle."

"And I'm Natsu Dragneel!" the candelabra dashed into the kitchen at breakneck speed and butted in front of Gray, much to his annoyance. Extending his candle, he gave a dashing smile, "I'm Fairy Tail Castle's estate manager, head waiter, and the coolest guy most girls see in their fantasies."

"Nice to meet you, Natsu," Mirajane giggled and offered Natsu her hand, which he proceeded to cover in kisses.

"Yeah, nice to meet you," Gray scowled as he hastily tried to get Natsu off Mirajane's hand, who continuously kissed it.

Natsu smirked, "Hey, don't hate me coz I'm hot, Gray. And you're not."

"Sorry about that," Gray apologized to Mirajane, whacking Natsu on the head. "If there's anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable, anything at all— Ouch!" Gray yelled as Natsu burned his arm with his candlestick.

Mirajane admitted, "Well, I am a little hungry…"

"You are?" Erza asked excitedly. She turned to the other servants in the kitchen. "Hear that, everyone? She's hungry! Stoke the fire! Break out the silver! Wake the china!" On cue, a whole bunch of dishes, silverware, and cooking utensils emerged from the cabinets and drawers and began moving at fast pace, chopping up vegetables, boiling water, and mixing ingredients.

"OH, YEAH!" Gajeel happily flared up with his stove flames. "Now that's what I'm talking about, baby! An after-dinner!"

"Wait, hold on," Gray whispered under his breath to Erza. "Remember what Master Laxus said?"

"Oh, nonsense!" Erza scoffed. "I'm not about to let the poor child go hungry."

"Oh alright, fine," Gray sighed, thinking he was giving into an ultimate demand. "Glass of water, crust of bread, and then—"

Natsu interrupted, "Gray, I'm surprised at you. She's not our prisoner, she's our guest! It's our job to make her feel welcome here." He then guided Mirajane over to the dining room, "Right this way."

Gray seemed torn between obeying Laxus and fulfilling his duty, but he reluctantly agreed, "Well, keep it down. If Master Laxus finds out about this, it'll be our necks!"

"Of course, of course," Natsu brushed off. "But what is dinner without a little… music?"

He closed the door which slammed Gray in the face, sending him flying into a bowl of pudding. He shouted, " **MUSIC?!** "

In the dining room, Mirajane sat down on a cushy chair in front of a very long table. Standing in the middle of it, holding a gold cap and a matchstick, was Natsu, with a spotlight shining from above. He announced, "Good evening, my friends. It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now, we invite you to relax. Let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents… your dinner." He gestured to the large array of scrumptious dishes and foods assembled on the table.

Natsu: **_Be… our… guest, be our guest  
Put our service to the test  
Tie your napkin 'round your neck, my dear  
And we provide the rest_**

A chair sprung to life and tied a napkin around Mirajane's neck, but she just placed it on her lap.

 ** _Soup du jour, hot hors d'oeurves  
Why, we only live to serve  
Try the gray stuff, it's delicious!_**

Natsu held out a tray of gray pudding and Mirajane tasted it.

 ** _Don't believe me?_** ** _Ask the dishes!_**

Natsu gestured to all the dazzling plates that came out of the cabinets.

 ** _They can sing, they can dance  
They can even leap and prance!  
And a dinner here _****_is never second best!_**

Mirajane picked up a menu.

 ** _Go on, unfold your menu  
Take a glance and then  
You'll be our guest  
Oui, our guest  
Be our guest_**

A parade of food came before Mirajane.

Natsu and Servants: **_Beef ragout, cheese soufflé  
Pie and pudding en flambé_**

Gray chose the wrong time to pop out of a pie, as Natsu set it on fire with his candles, burning the clock to a crisp.

Natsu: **_We'll prepare and serve with flair  
A culinary cabaret!_**

He gestured to the pile of spoons falling and doing swimming formations on a punch bowl like scuba divers.

 ** _You're alone and you're scared  
But the banquet's all prepared  
No one's gloomy or complaining  
While the flatware's entertaining_**

In a spout from the punch bowl, Natsu stood on a platform juggling his candlesticks.

 ** _We tell jokes, I do tricks  
With my glowing candlesticks_**

Mugs appeared before Mirajane.

Mugs: **_And it's all in perfect taste that you can bet!_**

Natsu and Servants: **_Come on and lift your glass_** _  
_ ** _You've won your own free pass  
To be our guest_**

Natsu: **_If you're stressed,  
It's fine dining we suggest_**

Gray got out of the pie and frantically tried to quiet everyone down.

Natsu and Servants: **_Be our guest!  
Be _****_our guest!  
Be our guest!_**

The servants left, leaving Natsu and Gray standing on the table. A spotlight shone down on the clock, who smiled nervously.

Natsu: **_Life is so unnerving  
For a servant who's not serving_**

Gray started to inch away, but Natsu stopped him.

 ** _He's not whole without a soul_** ** _to wait upon_**

"Get off," Gray hissed to Natsu.

Natsu: ** _Ah, those good old days when we were useful…_**

Suddenly, Gray noticed it was starting to snow and saw some salt shakers making it look like it was snowing.

 ** _Suddenly, those good old days are gone_**

Gray groaned in annoyance.

 ** _Ten years, we've been rusting  
Needing so much more than dusting  
Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills_**

Gray tried to get away from Natsu, who clung to his legs. Gray finally succeeded, only to fly into some jello.

 ** _Most days, we just lay around the castle  
Flabby, fat and lazy  
You walked in, and oops-a-daisy!_**

Natsu jumped onto a spoon in the jello, catapulting Gray out. Meanwhile, in the kitchen…

Erza: **_It's a guest! It's a guest!  
Sakes alive, well, I'll be blessed!  
Wine's been poured and thank the Lord  
I've had the napkins freshly pressed_**

 ** _With dessert, she'll want tea  
And my dear, that's fine with me  
While the cups do their soft-shoeing  
I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing_**

 ** _I'll get warm, piping hot_**

As Erza was making the tea, she noticed a spot on her back through a reflection in one of the frying pots.

 ** _Heaven's sakes, is that a spot?  
Clean it up! We want the company impressed_**

After a napkin cleaned the spot from her back, Erza and her teacup assistants got onto the tea cart and headed out of the kitchen. They handed Mirajane a cup of tea.

 ** _We've got a lot to do  
Is it one lump or two?  
For _****_you, our guest_**

Servants: **_She's our guest!_**

Erza: **_She's our guest_**

Servants: **_She's our guest!_**

"Alright, that's enough. Show's over…" Gray intervened, only to see a stampede of servants sweeping towards him and he ran off screaming.

Servants: **_Be our guest!  
Be our guest!  
Our command is your request!  
It's been years since we've had anybody here  
And we're obsessed!_**

 ** _With your meal, with your ease  
Yes, indeed, we aim to please  
While the candlelight's still glowing  
Let us help you, we'll keep going_**

Soon, the entire staff split into groups, revealing Natsu in the center wearing his gold cap, doing his own version of the box step.

Natsu: (joining in) **_Course by course  
One by one  
Till you shout, "Enough, I'm done!_** ** _"_**

Mirajane gasped in awe as a glowing chandelier descended into the room with all the servants doing a chorus line.

Natsu and Servants: **_Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest!  
Tonight, you'll prop your feet up_** ** _  
But for now, let's eat up_**

Meanwhile, Gray stood with the crowd, looking worried, but started to loosen up a little.

Natsu and Servants: **_Be our guest!  
Be our guest!  
Be our guest!  
Please, be our guest!_**

The song came to an end and Gray was dancing happily, until Natsu shoved him aside in a finishing pose, the musical number concluding with champagne popping and bubbles exploding like fireworks.

Mirajane happily clapped, "Bravo! That was wonderful! The food, the furniture, the entertainment… Everything was amazing!"

"Thank you, thank you," Gray bowed. "Good show, wasn't it, gang?" He then pointed to his clock-face and yawned, "Oh, would you look at the time? I'll just escort you back to your room. It's off to bed with you…"

"But I couldn't possibly go to bed now," Mirajane said excitedly. "It's my first time in an enchanted castle."

"Enchanted?" Gray asked in surprise, chuckling nervously. "Who said anything about Fairy Tail Castle being enchanted? Like, literally?" He then turned to Natsu and snapped, "It was you, wasn't it, Pyro?!"

"Hey, I didn't say anything, Ice Boy!" Natsu argued. "You're the one with the mouth—" He was interrupted when Gray began beating Natsu up.

"I figured it out for myself," Mirajane explained with a sly smile, making both Natsu and Gray stop. "I'd like to have a look around, it that's alright."

"Oh!" Natsu smiled. "You would like a tour?"

Gray interrupted, "Wait a second, wait a second. I'm not sure that's a good idea." He whispered to Natsu, "We can't have you-know-who poking around you-know-where, if you know what I mean."

Mirajane added, "Besides, since you're the head of the household, I'm sure you know everything there is to know about Fairy Tail Castle."

Thinking it over, Gray grinned pompously and chuckled, "Well, actually… Yeah. I do."


	9. Temper, Temper!

On the East Wing, Laxus was carrying a tray of food on his way to Mirajane's room. Having taken the advice of Natsu and the other servants into consideration, he personally made a meal to make up for Mirajane's missed dinner. The meal consists of a bowl of hot soup, a slice of bread, and a glass of orange juice. Hopefully, it would be enough to try and apologize to Mirajane.

Laxus whispered to himself in deep breaths, "Okay, Laxus. This is it. You got this. You got this. Act like a gentleman. Act like a gentleman." Having arrived in front of the door to Mirajane's room, he knocked it and called out, "Um, Mirajane, right? Just to make up for missing dinner, I made a special meal for you. I… hope you like it." He concluded his announcement with a blush around his cheeks. "I'm not sure this'll work. She'll probably snap at me again. Maybe I should..."

Before Laxus reached for the door, he heard loud voices approaching from the hallway. Hiding behind the drapes, he was surprised to see Mirajane walk down the hallway with Natsu and Gray escorting her.

"…as you can see, this castle was designed after the architecture of a magical fairy kingdom. And if you'll note the unusual inverted archways, this is yet another example of the late Neo-classic Baroque period," Gray gestured to the walls and ceilings in the hallway, with no one noticing the suits of armor turning their heads to look at Mirajane. "And like I always say, if it's not 'Baroque,' don't fix it." Gray laughed at his own joke, before he noticed the suits of armor facing Mirajane. He frowned, "Do you mind?!"

The suits of armor quickly turned away and apologized in unison, "Sorry!"

Natsu asked Mirajane, "So what do you think? Fairy Tail Castle's the happiest place on Earth-land, huh?"

Mirajane laughed and answered, "It's all so beautiful. I had no idea!" She looked around the hall, "The only thing that would make it a lot better was that _he_ wasn't here."

"You mean, Master Laxus?" Gray asked in surprise. "That's kinda harsh, don't you think?"

"It's the truth," Mirajane said defiantly. "I don't think Fairy Tail Castle ever sees Laxus as its 'master.' It's better off without him. I'll bet even you would agree."

Gray frowned, "And why are we better off without him?"

Mirajane answered simply, "Because Laxus is a bully. A big thunder-and-lightning meanie who cares about no one. Someone else should be the master of this castle, like Erza. She would be way better than him."

As Mirajane walked after Natsu and Gray, Laxus emerged from behind the drapes with a shocked expression, as if he was slapped in the face after overhearing the conversation. " _Act like a gentleman…_ " With a frown, Laxus tossed the tray of food aside. "This stinks." With that, he stormed off, leaving the tray splattered all over the floor.

A dustpan named Wakaba Mine came across the East Wing and looked to notice the mess of food on the floor. He sighed, "Not again. Well, better go get Mickey Broom."

* * *

After walking through nearly a dozen rooms, Mirajane, Natsu, and Gray entered the west side of Fairy Tail Castle, where Gray continued to elaborate on the castle's history.

"…and thanks to some quick thinking on my part, a huge disaster was averted," Gray narrated. "That was the last time anyone ever erected a huge fire-breathing statue of the late King Makarov in this area again."

Natsu scoffed, "Oh, please. Your so-called 'quick thinking' was tattling to Master Laxus after your butt's on fire. Even then, you ran around for ten minutes screaming your head off."

Gray snapped, "Shut up, Fire Breath! You're just mad because you got in trouble for nearly burning the castle twice with your so-called 'work of art!'"

Natsu argued angrily, "It only happened twice, Popsicle Stick! That statue was a masterpiece! I made it special for Boss! It's in the image of his late beloved grandfather. It was handcrafted from the finest spare junk the dump had to offer."

Gray rolled his eyes, "Oh, it was a 'masterpiece', all right. A masterpiece of—"

"Wait a sec," Natsu interrupted, looking around. "Where's Mirajane?"

Realizing Mirajane wasn't following them anymore, Natsu and Gray doubled back to look for her and nearly panicked when they saw her about to walk up a large staircase. Quick as a flash, Natsu and Gray blocked her path, with Happy the footstool joining them unexpectedly out of nowhere.

Natsu grinned at Happy and whispered, "Thanks for joining us, Happy. And nice defense."

Happy whispered back, "No problem. We can't let Mirajane get inside. If she does, Master Laxus is gonna be so ticked." Natsu winked his eye in response.

"What's up there?" Mirajane asked curiously.

"Where? Up there?" Gray chuckled nervously. "Nothing." Natsu and Happy had been shaking their heads, until Gray nudged them and Natsu quickly nodded. He added, "Absolutely nothing interesting at all in the West Wing. Dusty, dull, very boring."

"Oh… So that's the West Wing," Mirajane smiled at this revelation.

"Nice going," Natsu muttered to Gray, who covered his mouth in embarrassment.

"I wonder what he's hiding up there?" Mirajane wondered, looking up the stairs.

Natsu chuckled nervously, "Hiding? C'mon, Boss ain't hiding anything."

"Aye," Happy agreed. "Master Laxus is not hiding anything from us."

"Then it wouldn't be forbidden," Mirajane stepped over Natsu, Happy, and Gray, but they quickly dashed up and blocked her again.

Happy suggested, "Maybe you'd like to see something else? We've got the largest kitchen in the world with yummy yum food, water, and fish!"

Mirajane pointed out, "I've been there already." She stepped over them again, and they quickly blocked her path a third time.

It's Gray's turn to suggest, "Then how about this? Fairy Tail Castle's got exquisite tapestries dating all the way back to—"

"Maybe later," Mirajane said, and she stepped over them again, only to be blocked a fourth time.

"What about the Kardia Royal Gardens?" Natsu suggested hastily. "Or the library, perhaps?"

That peaked Mirajane's interest, "You have a library?"

"Oh, yeah! That's right!" Gray said happily, relieved that he had found something to take her interest off the West Wing.

"With books," Natsu added.

They started to lead Mirajane away, as Happy said, "Tons of books!"

"Mountains of books!" Natsu added.

Mirajane stopped in her tracks and glanced back at the West Wing, her curiosity getting the best of her. She walked back to the staircase, while Natsu and Gray made their way arm-in-arm to the library with Happy.

"Forests of books," Happy cried.

"Cascades…" Natsu said.

"…of books," Gray finished.

"Swamps of books!" Happy said.

"Books as far as the eye can see," Gray continued. "More books than you'll ever be able to read in a lifetime! Books on every subject ever studied, by every author who ever set pen to paper…"

* * *

While Natsu and the others were distracted, Mirajane had already gone up the stairs. A much different sight awaited her than she expected; instead of a widely lit hallway, there was a dark and dreary corridor lined with statues of gargoyles and broken pieces of marble littering the floor. Passing a smashed mirror, she came across a large door with a monster-shaped brass knob on the front. The face of the brass seemed to be warning Mirajane to turn back if she knew what's good for her. She was almost considering turning back, but she already reached for the handles. But when she did, she hesitated, remembering Laxus's warning not to come to this place and she was unsure of what she would find inside. Finally, Mirajane grabbed the handles and pulled open the doors.

Upon entering, what looked like a disaster met Mirajane's eyes. It was a large room where pieces of furniture, drapes, and decorations were torn up, tattered, and broken. On the other hand, some pieces of furniture lay in piles of ashes, burnt into crisps as if a lightning bolt scorched them from the sky. Even the bed was collapsed on itself. Starting to get a little creeped out, Mirajane cautiously walked around and tried with great care to maneuver around the mess, until she accidently knocked over a table. She gasped and quickly caught it before it crashed to the floor. Just then, something else caught Mirajane's eyes.

What she had seen was a shredded portrait of a tall and muscular man with slicked-back spiky yellow hair, blue eyes, and a lightning bolt scar on his right eye. He was wearing a black t-shirt covered by a large coat with fur around the neck and the sleeves' edges, draped over his shoulders like a cape. Mirajane curiously lifted one part of the shredded picture to connect the other parts, and slowly realized something awfully familiar about those eyes, but she couldn't put her finger on what.

Suddenly, a bright glow from the balcony caught her attention. Looking towards it, she was surprised to see the enchanted rose hovering underneath its glass bell jar. She wandered towards the table it was on, completely transfixed. Intrigued, Mirajane removed the bell jar and was about to touch the rose…

…Laxus! The Lightning Beast appeared out of the shadows and slammed the rose back up with the bell jar. He turned to Mirajane with fury and rage in his eyes, his lightning sparking up to higher levels. He demanded, " **YOU! Why did you come here?!** "

"I-I'm sorry…" Mirajane stuttered.

" **I warned you never to come here!** " Laxus growled, raising a fist at her.

"I didn't mean any harm!" Mirajane cried.

" **Do you realize what you could have done?!** " Laxus shouted, almost about to explode.

"No, please… I…" Mirajane pleaded, backing away over a broken footstool.

In a roar of rage, Laxus released a blast of electricity down upon himself, destroying what's left of the furniture around him like a forcefield. His body surged with a large amount of lightning manifesting his rage. He roared at the top of his lungs, " **GET OUT! GEEEEETTTTT OOOOUUUUTTTT!** "

Eventually, Mirajane's fear overwhelmed her. She scrambled away from the lightning before it scorched her, and she finally escaped from the room. As soon as Mirajane got farther away, the lightning subsided, indicating Laxus had calmed down. As he did, it took him a bit to realize that Mirajane had already fled, along with any chance he could've had with her. Not only did he lose his temper with her, but he also scared her away with his bizarre magic, possibly scaring her to the core and compelling her to run away.

The Lightning Beast fell into despair once again. He disgracefully bowed his head and covered his hands over his face, muttering sadly, "No… No… I did it again."

* * *

After escaping from the West Wing, Mirajane quickly grabbed her cloak and wore it on her way down to the staircase leading to the main hall of the castle. She then came upon Natsu, Gray, and Happy, who were surprised and relieved to find her.

Natsu called out, "There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you!"

Mirajane said hastily, "He tried to kill me! He's more than just a bully! He's a _monster!_ " She dashed past them, making a mad dash for the exit.

"Hey! Wait!" Natsu shouted. "Where are you going?!"

Mirajane cried, quickly opening the front door, "Promise or no promise, I can't stay here another minute!"

Gray yelled, "No! Stop! Come back here!" But Mirajane already slammed the door behind her. He, Natsu, and Happy watched helplessly in disbelief as their last hope in breaking the spell vanished out the door.

* * *

Outside, a blizzard was furiously blowing as Mirajane escaped on Parakeet, fleeing the castle and heading into the woods. She sighed in relief, knowing she was finally away from that prison and the monster inhabiting it. However, she didn't get too far when she heard a howling noise. Looking over the side, Mirajane gasped horrifyingly as a pack of Lion-Wolves emerged from behind the trees, growling at her and Parakeet. Mirajane quickly pulled the reins and urged Parakeet on with the Lion-Wolves giving chase. The horse hastily ran side to side, making the Lion-Wolves hit the trees, one by one, and Parakeet slammed one Lion-Wolf into a tree.

Parakeet quickly ran out onto a frozen pond, but the ice gave out under the horse. The Lion-Wolves chased Mirajane into the water. Parakeet quickly got out of the water, but soon, they were surrounded by more Lion-Wolves. Frightened, Parakeet reared and Mirajane fell off him, and he tangled his reins on a tree branch. The Lion-Wolves began to attack Parakeet, but Mirajane, desperate to defend her horse, hit a few Lion-Wolves with a stick. Unfortunately, the Lion-Wolves proved more agile and strong enough to knock her over, snapping her stick in half and tugging on her cloak.

" **NO!** " Mirajane screamed. She was about to meet her end when a Lion-Wolf pounced, the girl helplessly bracing herself…

However, it was caught mid-jump by Laxus, who let out a mighty roar at the Lion-Wolf's face and tossed it away. The Lightning Beast emerged out of nowhere, his body engulfed in powerful lightning, and standing protectively over Mirajane, much to her complete surprise.

" **Lightning Beast's Roar!** " Laxus breathed a concentrated destructive blast of lightning, which electrocuted and smashed the Lion-Wolves on sight. Despite a few taken out, however, the Lion-Wolves kept coming in numbers and began to advance on him.

"Stand back!" Laxus shouted at Mirajane. All at once, the Lightning Beast and the Lion-Wolves attacked each other, slicing and biting and clawing each other in a huge, massive frenzy. During the battle, Laxus was strong enough to endure the bites and scratches from the Lion-Wolves, which gave him a slight advantage. He decimated the rest of the Lion-Wolves with various magical attacks, including special techniques such as **Lightning Beast's Roar,** a blast of lightning from his mouth, **Lightning Beast's Demolition Fist** , a giant high-speed lightning fist, and **Lightning Beast's Heavenward Halberd** , a lightning attack in the shape of a trident.

At the end of the brawl, half of the Lion-Wolves were dead, and the others were horribly burned by Laxus's lightning. His power over thunder and lightning was terrifying enough to force the remaining Lion-Wolves to run away. Exhausted by his ordeals, Laxus looked up at Mirajane with sorrow in his eyes, his body covered in claw and bite marks as a result of the Lion-Wolves. The worst injury was on his left shoulder from where the last Lion-Wolf had bitten him, which was bleeding profusely. Laxus tried taking a step towards Mirajane, but he stumbled and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Mirajane watched in disbelief, but was shaken to her senses when Parakeet let out a loud neigh. She instantly rushed to him and freed his reins from the branch. The horse gestured Mirajane to hop on, but she hesitated. She looked back at Laxus, who lay unconscious and bleeding in the snow. This could be the perfect time for Mirajane to make a clean getaway, but that would also mean leaving Laxus to die alone without medical aid. As much as she disliked Laxus, she knew she couldn't let that happen to him.

Moments later, Mirajane was leading Parakeet, with Howl draped over him, back to the castle.

* * *

Upon Mirajane's return to Fairy Tail Castle, the news of Laxus's injuries in battle with the Lion-Wolves had not been taken lightly by Laxus's servants. Immediately, Laxus was taken to his quarters to receive a warm spot by the fireplace and extensive medical treatment, courtesy of Mirajane and Fairy Tail Castle's best.

During the treatment, Mirajane poured some hot water out of Erza's nose and soaked a rag in it. She said to Erza, "Okay, I knew you were an administrator and all, but I had no idea you're a doctor as well."

Erza explained with a smile, "My special recipe tea also serves as herbs to treat the sick and injured. Master Laxus often refuses to take it, preferring to heal the wounds in his own way, the way an animal would." She gestured to Laxus, who was slowly licking the wound on his shoulder. "See what I mean?"

"No, no, no," Mirajane shook her head in disappointment. "This will never do." She came over with the rag, "Here now. Don't do that." Laxus growled at her. Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Romeo, and Happy nervously backed away, having a bad feeling about what's going to happen next. "Just… hold… still…" The rag finally touched Laxus's wounded shoulder, causing him to roar in pain. The roar was so loud that it scared the others to hide.

" **THAT HURTS!** " Laxus shouted at Mirajane's face.

Mirajane shouted back, "Stop being such a baby! I'm trying to help you!"

"But it still hurts!" Laxus whined.

Mirajane angrily replied, "If you'd hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much!"

Laxus argued, "Well, it's your fault! You're the reason why I'm hurt! If you hadn't run away in the first place, this wouldn't have happened."

Mirajane retorted, "My fault?! It's your fault! If you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run away!"

"Yeah... Well…" Laxus struggled to find a way to retaliate, until he responded, "Well… You shouldn't have been in the West Wing!" He clenched his fist into the edge of his chair and gave a smirk.

Mirajane pointed out, "Well, you should learn to control your temper."

Laxus raised his eyebrow, "Temper? What temper?"

" _Your_ temper!" Mirajane said sternly with hands on her hips. "You should be ashamed of yourself, shouting and screaming and getting angry over nothing. It's the same thing you did when you asked me to come to dinner. If you wanted me to come to dinner, you should've asked nicely, and if I said no, you just should acknowledge that. And let's not forgot about your servants. Sure, they served you faithfully, but you kept on pushing and pushing them. Don't you think you're wearing them down? They're getting tired when you demand more from them all the time. Can't you see that? You're being a bully and a spoiled brat." She then sighed, "I know you weren't yourself when I almost touched your rose. It was very precious to you, isn't it? Is that why you told me not to come into the West Wing? You don't have to apologize. But I had hoped that you might've changed a little bit…" She wagged a finger at Laxus, who was starting to look sheepish. "I wish you could start trusting me."

Upon hearing Mirajane's reminder, Laxus was silent, and for once, words to express back seemed to fail him. He looked at Mirajane suspiciously while blushing at the same time, unsure whether to trust her or not. She was a very peculiar character who could easily point out one's cruel behavior… She was too good.

Laxus relented, finally admitting to himself that what he did was wrong. He sighed, "Sorry, Mirajane… You were right. I… wasn't myself. I hope I haven't done anything to hurt you."

Mirajane smiled warmly, "I told you, you don't have to apologize."

Having emerged from their hiding places, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Romeo, and Happy looked at each other in disbelief and amazement. Mirajane and Laxus were actually trying to make amends with each other! And this may be the first time Laxus had ever apologized to anyone!

Mirajane continued, "You know I can't just leave behind someone in need of help. You're bleeding really bad. That why I want to help you. Now hold still. This might sting a little."

Laxus cringed in pain as Mirajane began to dab the wound with the rag. She grinned, "And by the way… Thank you, Laxus, for saving my life."

Laxus looked at her in surprise at how humble and sincere Mirajane was to him. No one had ever thanked him for anything before. It was a strange feeling. He nodded slightly and said, "You're welcome."

With Mirajane and the Lightning Beast finally on friendly terms, the transition would go a lot smoother. They might have a real chance at breaking the spell after all.


	10. New Friends, New Plans

That night, back at the village, the tavern had been closed for the night, yet its windows were giving small signs of light. Inside, Zancrow and Kain Hikaru were sitting at a table illuminated by a lantern, with a man with long straight black hair and a thin moustache, dressed in an outfit resembling the fictional depictions of both a sorcerer and a jester. His name was Jose Porla.

"I don't usually leave the Phantom Lord Asylum in the middle of the night," Jose pointed out. "But your fat friend said you would make it worth my while." Zancrow withdrew a large sack of gold and tossed in front of Jose. Opening the sack, Jose grinned when he saw the large amount of gold inside and took one piece out, scratching his chin with it. "I'm listening."

"It's like this," Zancrow said. "I've got my heart set on marrying the eldest Strauss sibling, Mirajane. But for one reason or another, she's rebuffed my advances. So I decided she needs a little… persuasion."

Kain chuckled smugly and butted in, "Turned him down flat." Overhearing him, Zancrow slammed a mug of root beer on his head.

Jose said intrigued, "I see… And how exactly do I fit into all this?"

Zancrow explained, "Everybody in town knows her brother Elfman's a lunatic. He was here earlier that night, raving about a Lightning Beast in a castle."

"Raving, you say?" Jose asked curiously. "Interesting. But I should point out that I have evaluated Elfman before. Aside from being obsessed with Take-Over Magic and having an overactive imagination, he is very tall and rough."

Zancrow shook his head, "Mental state doesn't matter. The point is, Mirajane is fiercely protective of her siblings. And she would do anything to keep them, especially Elfman, from being locked up."

"Yeah, even marry him," Kain added. Zancrow was about to smack him again, upset that he's spoiling the plan. In response, Kain nervously covered his head with his mug.

"So you want me to throw Elfman into the asylum, unless she agrees to marry you?" Jose asked, to which Zancrow simply smirked while Kain nodded. Jose shook his head in disappointment, "Oh, that is despicable." He then laughed maliciously and smirked, "I love it!"

* * *

Up in the cottage, Lisanna and Elfman were sitting in the couch with warm blankets around their bodies, with the three girls Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino sitting on a separate couch and giving them company.

Lisanna grinned, "Thanks for coming over, Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino. And here, I thought you were just crazy fangirls drooling over Zancrow."

Yukino replied, "We may be fangirls, but we've got hearts and brains, too." She took out a bag of potato chips. "Care for some Saber Tooth Potato Chips?"

Elfman smiled, "My manly favorite!" She took the bag, ripped it open, and ate the potato chips inside.

"We wanted to apologize for what Zancrow did to your brother earlier tonight," Chelia said to Lisanna. "We wanted to make it all up to you by paying you a visit and chat with you over snacks and some drinks."

Lisanna smiled contently, "All this time, when most of the villagers think of the Strauss siblings as strange and weird, I think this is the first time anyone from the village has been nice to us." She bowed her head in gratitude, "Thank you for visiting us."

"The only thing we still need to worry about is Mira. She's still trapped in that castle," Elfman reminded. "I was confident I could smash that Lightning Beast before he could do Mira in. But instead, we got ourselves into a big mess…" He sighed sadly, "I'm sorry, Lisanna. I failed to protect you and Mira. Some man I turned out to be…"

Lisanna patted Elfman's back comfortingly, "There, there."

Meredy smiled reassuringly, "It's alright, Elfman. We believe in you and your sister, and we respect you."

Yukino shrugged, "Yeah, I mean, what are we supposed to do? Leave someone in a bad state to freeze out in the cold?"

"I think now is a good time to ask you," Lisanna interjected. "How is it that you three know of the Lightning Beast as much as we do?"

Meredy stood up and cleared her throat, "It's a very long story. What Elfman mentioned about the castle and the Lightning Beast, it all adds up to the urban legend."

Lisanna asked curiously, "Urban legend?"

"A long time ago…" Meredy began her narration. "There was a shining castle that stood in the center of the forest. It's called Fairy Tail Castle."

Elfman and Lisanna's eyes widened at the mention of the name of the castle they ventured last night. The two siblings exclaimed in unison, "Fairy Tail Castle?"

"You know that place, too? Maybe a little more can help," Meredy said. She resumed her narration, "There was a shining castle named Fairy Tail Castle. It was a peaceful, prosperous place with beautiful architecture and magnificent sights. It was ruled by the late Royal Dreyar Family. Most of the time, parties and festivals of the royal kind were hosted there, and all manner of folk reveled in every celebration. It was a very carefree royal lifestyle."

"One fateful day, everything changed when the kingdoms of Fairy Tail and Raven Tail were at war. The discord between them was so great that they fought each other fiercely for dominion. Fairy Tail Castle's king, Ivan Dreyar, became greedy, vain, and obsessed with claiming the wealth and beauty of Raven Tail for his own, and he sought to strike it down. The Ravens were eventually defeated and the riches had been taken, but at the cost of Ivan's life. Only Ivan's son, Prince Laxus, remained as the next heir to the throne."

Lisanna asked, "Did he take it?"

"Yes," Meredy nodded. "His reign lasted for about ten years. But on Laxus's tenth and last year as king, nothing could prepare him for that fateful day the Lightning Beast stormed into the castle… The monster fell out of the sky in a fierce thunderstorm. His footsteps shook the entire castle, shrouding the sky in thick black clouds that blocked out the sun, and continuous rains and storms brought wrath and ruin. The majestic plants in the garden withered and died. Everyone living in the castle was overcome with grief and sorrow. Eventually, the young Prince Laxus died in battle with the Beast. The Beast finally took over Fairy Tail Castle and made it his dominion, transforming the place into a shadow of its former glory. No one has ever been there or heard of it since."

Lisanna covered her mouth in disbelief, "Oh, no… That sounds terrible."

"How come you're the only one to tell the tale?" Elfman asked Meredy.

Meredy explained, "Three years ago, before I moved to this village, I was a student at the Crocus University until I graduated. I learned all about Fairy Tail Castle from my best friend and classmate Ultear. She's a total encyclopedia on urban legends." She turned to Lisanna and Elfman, "So, what about your story? What do you know about Fairy Tail Castle and the Lightning Beast?"

Lisanna began, "Well, Big Brother Elf and I were attacked by Lion-Wolves on our way to the talent show, and then we stumbled at the entrance to the castle you mentioned. When we entered the place, the Lightning Beast came out of nowhere and threw us into the dungeon. We stayed there for a long time until Mira came to rescue us. But she wasn't so lucky. She was locked up in our place." A single tear fell from Lisanna's eye. "I miss Mira so much."

Elfman placed his arm around Lisanna's shoulder, "Me too. Life's not the same without her."

"Your big sister traded her freedom for yours? That sounds interesting… and sad at the same time," Yukino nodded. "Anything else?"

Elfman answered, "Along the way, we met a bunch of magically walking and talking castle furniture. A real man must've been a total expert at this! There's this candle-holder named Natsu, a wooden clock named Gray, a totally hot teapot named Erza, and this teacup named Wendy—"

"Wendy?!" Chelia exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening at the mention of that name. She frantically grabbed Elfman's shoulders, "Did you just say Wendy?"

"Uh… yeah," Elfman nodded confusedly. "Why?"

"That's the name of my best friend!" Chelia answered. "We played together seven years ago when we were kids. Wendy and I used to play by the large lake and the playground near the tavern. Playing tag, coloring, watching scary movies, playing board games, building a house of cards, and stuff… But everything changed when she moved away from the village. I miss her so much." She wiped a tear from her eye. "And about what you said… If you really did meet Wendy in the castle…" Her face suddenly beamed with hope and excitement, "Then she has to be there! She has to be!"

"You know Wendy, too?" Elfman stood up adamantly. "If I have to take a guess, the Lightning Beast must've caught Wendy seven years ago and made her his slave in the castle! That's another un-manly thing!"

"I think so," Chelia agreed worriedly. "That sounds terrible… Wendy's in big trouble, and so is your sister! We gotta go back to the castle and get them outta there!"

"I'll get the essentials," Elfman suggested. He hastily went over to a closet, took a large bag, and was busy packing items like food and water, much to Lisanna, Yukino, and Meredy's confusion. He smiled at Chelia, "We're so glad to have you join us when no one can." He observed his bag packed with supplies. "Is that everything? I don't care what it takes. We're gonna find that castle, save Mira and Wendy, and punch that Lightning Beast square in the face!"

Chelia cheered, "Yeah! Fairy Tail Castle, here we come!"

Elfman turned to Lisanna, "Lisanna, you stay here and rest up. The other girls will keep you company, and Chelia's coming with me."

Meredy nodded, "No problem."

Yukino added, "You can count on us."

"Please be careful, Big Brother Elf," Lisanna said worriedly. "And bring back Mira… please."

Elfman raised a thumbs up and smiled, "No worries. That's what a real man does."

"Here we go, Elfman! Follow me!" Chelia cried happily, heading out the door. "To Fairy Tail Castle!"

Elfman asked confusedly, "Uh… do you even know where we're going?"

Chelia replied, already outside the house, "I don't know, but I think the castle is somewhere around the woods. Meredy said the castle's in the woods, right? So, let's go to the woods!"

Elfman shouted, "Hey, Chelia! Wait up! Don't leave me here!" He followed Chelia out the door and closed it behind him, leaving Lisanna, Meredy, and Yukino to themselves.

Lisanna sighed in disappointment and pouted, "It's not fair. I wanted to go with Big Brother Elf and do something exciting for once. He can't leave me behind just because I'm the youngest in the family."

"Lisanna, Elfman said he's a real man, right? So let him do the work," Meredy suggested. "He'll back with Mirajane faster than you can say Maguilty Sense." All of a sudden, she shared Lisanna's expression of boredom, "Come to think of it, sitting around the house all day can get really boring."

"Care for a trip to Akane Resort to pass the time?" Yukino suggested, taking out a couple of coupons from her pocket. "I've got free coupons!"

Lisanna nodded happily, "Sure!"

Meredy added, "We'd love to!"

* * *

A few minutes later, Elfman and Chelia had already gone to the forest, while Lisanna, Meredy, and Yukino left for somewhere else. At the same time, though, they had high hopes in their hearts that everyone was alright and would come back together in one piece. Meanwhile, Zancrow and Kain arrived, riding the Phantom Lord Asylum carriage on the way. The two jumped off and entered the house.

"Mirajane! Lisanna! Elfman!" Zancrow called out, but there was no answer.

"They must've gone on a trip or something. Oh, well," Kain shrugged. "Guess our plan's not gonna work after all."

Zancrow grabbed Kain by the tights and walked outside. He said, "They'll have to come back sooner or later. And when they do, we'll be ready for them." He flung Kain into a snowbank by the porch, and instructed, "Hikaru, don't move from that spot until Mirajane and her brother and sister come home." He then hopped back onto the wagon, which turned around and headed back into town.

"But… but…" Kain stammered. "Aw, nuts!" He angrily hit the side of the house, causing a pile of snow to fall on his head and cover him up completely.


	11. Something There

Morning had risen at Fairy Tail Castle. Mirajane awoke from her bed, feeling refreshed after the events that transpired last night. As she sat up and stretched her arms, she noticed that her black dress no longer lay at the foot of her bed. Instead, there was a bright green dress in its place. There was also a small cart sitting next to the bed containing a bowl of oatmeal, a glass of milk, and a banana.

"Good morning, Mirajane!" the wardrobe Juvia Lockser greeted cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes," Mirajane replied, getting out of bed and smoothing down her white nightgown. "Juvia, have you seen my dress?"

"You mean the thing you were wearing before?" Juvia asked. "I had it sent to the laundry room for some cleaning and stitching up."

"Juvia thought you'd like this one better," the footstool Happy appeared in front of Mirajane, standing on the bed. "She picked it from her drawers. I'm Happy, by the way. A humble servant of Fairy Tail, at your service!"

"It's very nice to meet you, Happy," Mirajane said. She then held up the green dress and admired it, "It's lovely. It has a very nice pattern, too. Not to mention, the breakfast."

Happy explained, "Erza prepared the food herself. I brought it here. Master Laxus requested a tray brought to your room."

"He said that?" Mirajane asked in surprise. "Wow… that's very thoughtful of him." She then smiled, "He's finally opening up to me." Taking a spoon from the tray, she sat back down at the bed and began eating her oatmeal.

Juvia whispered to Happy, "Maybe you can put her feet up in case she wants a foot message."

Happy agreed with a nod, "Aye."

 **After breakfast…**

Mirajane, dressed in the green dress Juvia gave her, decided to venture out into the castle grounds. She was amazed to see how different everything looked in the daytime. It wasn't as dark as the first time she entered the castle. In fact, the weather and atmosphere was kind of pleasant. Looking around, she spotted the stables where her horse Parakeet was staying.

"Hello, Parakeet," Mirajane petted her horse's head. "Feeling better today?" Parakeet neighed cheerfully in response and nudged Mirajane's face, causing her to laugh. She led the horse out of the stables and into the castle grounds.

Mirajane was unaware that someone was watching her from outside. On a balcony, Laxus the Lightning Beast looked on with Natsu the candelabra and Lucy the feather duster alongside him. Seeing how gentle Mirajane was with Parakeet, Laxus placed a hand on his bandaged shoulder, which had gotten a bit sore since last night but was otherwise healing well. Seeing the beautiful look in Mirajane's eyes and her bright smile struck a wave of emotion deep inside Laxus. A pure feeling, indeed.

"That's strange…" Laxus whispered to himself, still clutching his bandaged shoulder.

"Are you hungry, Boss?" Natsu asked. "Or maybe it's gas?"

"No, it's just that…" Laxus shook his head. His eyes kept focusing on Mirajane, "I've never felt this way about anyone. No one has ever shown me kindness before." An idea formed in his head and he clenched his fist with a smile of resolve. "I want to do something for her. Something to make her happy." But then, his smile faded, as he realized he couldn't think of anything. "But what?"

Lucy suggested, counting off on her feathers, "Well, there's the usual things you want to give her: flowers, chocolates, poems, love songs, promises you don't intend to keep…"

"C'mon, Lucy. She'll need a little more than that," Natsu smiled playfully. "It has to be something very special, something that sparks her interest." Just then, an idea struck him. "Wait a minute!"

 **A moment later…**

Laxus had led Mirajane to a particular set of doors. He said, "Hey, Mirajane?"

Mirajane replied, "Call me Mira."

"Mira, okay," Laxus nodded. "Um, just to make up for what happened last night, there's something special I want to show you." He began to open the doors, but closed them and told her, "But first, you have to close your eyes."

Mirajane asked skeptically, "Why?"

Laxus answered, "It's a surprise." Intrigued, Mirajane obliged and closed her eyes. Laxus waved his hand in front of her face to make sure she wasn't peeking. Smiling, he opened the doors, took Mirajane's outstretched hands, and escorted her inside.

"Can I open them?" Mirajane asked.

"No, no, not yet," Laxus said, having led Mirajane to the middle of the room. "Wait here." He ran to the large window and pulled open the curtains, allowing light to flood into the room.

Mirajane smiled as she felt the beams of light on her face, and started to become excited. "Now can I open them?"

"Alright," Laxus smiled, walking up behind her and facing her in one direction of the room. "Now."

As Mirajane opened her eyes, she let out a gasp and clamped her hands over her mouth. The room she was standing in was a gigantic library, filled with countless shelves of books that covered every inch of the walls and reached as high as the ceiling. Never before has she seen a library of that size and magnitude. The sight nearly overwhelmed her.

"Oh, my gosh! I can't believe it!" Mirajane cried, looking around the room. "I've never seen so many books in my whole life!"

"You like it?" Laxus asked.

"Like it? I LOVE it!" Mirajane exclaimed. "This is the most wonderful thing I've ever seen."

Laxus smiled, "Then it's yours."

Mirajane paused and turned to Laxus with a shocked look on her face. "What? All of this will be mine?"

Laxus explained, "I figured you liked books, so I decided to give you the library. All the books are yours to read. Of course, if you think that's too much—" He was cut off when Mirajane rushed forward and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a big, tight hug. Surprised and caught off guard by her reaction, Laxus blushed with red cheeks until Mirajane loosened her grip on him.

"Oh, Laxus… This is the most wonderful gift anyone has ever given me. Thank you so much," Mirajane smiled at Laxus, before hugging him again. Immediately, Laxus's feelings won him over as he returned the hug. He was so anxious, but mostly relieved and happy to have found a new friend for the first time in his lonely life.

Outside of the library, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Happy watched the scene, while Romeo was struggling to look. The group was in an enormous state of excitement, shouting repeatedly with cheers and high-fiving each other.

"Ya see that, guys?" Natsu cheered. "I told you it would work!"

Wendy cried happily, "I can hardly wait! This'll be the best day of our lives!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy added.

"Huh?" Romeo asked, trying to see through the crowd. "What works? And what's the best day of our lives?"

Gray grinned, ignoring Romeo, "Yep, this is very encouraging."

"What's encouraging?" Romeo asked, trying to hop in between the group.

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Lucy gushed, jumping up and down in excitement. "Don't you agree, Erza?"

"What's so exciting?!" Romeo asked loudly.

Erza agreed with Lucy, "Yes, very much so. But enough spying for now. We must get back to work."

Everyone nodded in agreement and started walking towards the hall, except for Romeo, who was looking aimlessly around and starting to get frustrated. He shouted, "But I didn't see anything!"

Macao the hat-hanging stick appeared and found his son Romeo, "There you are, kiddo! Been looking everywhere for ya. C'mon, there's lot of chores to do."

"But what's everybody talking about?" Romeo asked Macao as he followed his father. "What's going on? C'mon, Dad!"

 **The next morning…**

Laxus and Mirajane were sitting together at the table, eating hot cereal. As Mirajane reached for her spoon, she gasped when she saw Laxus eating his cereal like an animal (He's still a beast, look it up!). That is, until he stopped and looked awkwardly at her. Wendy and Romeo laughed a little to themselves. Mirajane looked away, trying to pretend she hadn't seen anything as Laxus wiped his face with his hand. Romeo quickly nudged a spoon to Laxus, who took it and tried to take a spoonful of cereal with little success. This made Wendy and Romeo laugh again, until Erza quieted them with a scolding look. Finally, Mirajane had an idea. Putting her spoon down, she picked up her bowl and raised it in a toast. Laxus did the same, and the two sipped from their bowls.

 **Later, outside…**

Amidst the fields of snow, Mirajane opened a bag of seeds and threw some to feed the birds, and then poured some into Laxus's hands. She watched as Laxus knelt down to feed the birds, but they just kept on flying away from him, no matter how hard he tried to give the seeds. At the same time, Mirajane was thinking about how different Laxus had been since they first met.

Mirajane: _**There's something sweet**_ ** _  
And almost kind  
But he was mean  
And he was coarse and unrefined_**

 _ **But now, he's dear**_ ** _  
And so unsure  
I wonder why  
I didn't see it there before_**

Seeing Laxus was having trouble feeding the birds, Mirajane knelt down and poured more seeds into his hands, along with a trail of seeds towards them. One bird came and hopped down the trail and ate the seeds, before it landed into Laxus's seed-filled hands and ate away at them, much to his surprise. Laxus looked back at Mirajane, who was holding another bird on her finger. He could feel his heart race every time he made physical contact with her. He loved it even more when she looked at him with those beautiful eyes of hers.

Laxus: _**She glanced this way**_ ** _  
I thought I saw  
And when we touched  
She didn't shudder at my paw_**

 _ **No, it can't be**_ ** _  
I'll just ignore  
But then, she's never looked at me  
That way before_**

As the small bird flew away, Mirajane looked back at Laxus, who seemed to be watching her every move, despite all the birds flying around him. Instantly, her heart started to race and she began blushing. Quickly, she moved behind a tree, looking a little doubtful. She wasn't sure why Laxus cared for her all of a sudden, but she was sure it had something to do with his new change in behavior. Every time Laxus stared at her, a strange feeling would overcome her. She was wondering where these new feelings came from.

Mirajane: _**New and a bit alarming**_ ** _  
Who'd have ever thought that this could be?  
True that he's no Prince Charming  
But there's something in him that I simply didn't see_**

Mirajane came out from behind the tree and almost laughed when she saw Laxus's whole body covered in birds. When all the birds flew away, Laxus instantly got hit in the face by a snowball. Wiping it off his face, he saw Mirajane standing behind the tree, giggling at him. Smirking, Laxus gathered up a lot of snow with his arms to create a big snowball. He was about to throw it at Mirajane as payback, but Mirajane threw another snowball at his face, causing the big snowball to fall on his head with a splat.

Thusly, a fun snowfight ensued, with Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Erza, Wendy, and Happy watching happily from the windows.

Natsu: _**Well, who'd have thought?**_

Lucy: _**Well, bless my soul**_

Gray: _**Well, who'd have known?**_

Erza: _**Well, who indeed?**_

Wendy: _**And who'd have guessed**_ ** _  
They'd come together on their own?_**

Happy: _**It's so peculiar**_

Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Happy: _**We'll wait and see**_ ** _  
A few days more  
There may be something there  
That wasn't there before_**

Later, Laxus took Mirajane's coat off, and the two sat on the floor together to read books by the fireplace. Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Romeo, and Happy quietly observed from the doorway.

Gray: _**You know, perhaps there's something there**_ ** _  
That wasn't there before_**

"What?" Romeo asked, trying to get a better look.

Erza: _**There may be something there**_ ** _  
That wasn't there before_**

"What's there, Miss Erza?" Romeo asked Erza.

Erza smiled warmly, "Let's just say… it's the start of a new friendship. Come. Let's give those two some privacy." With that, they gently closed the door.


	12. Human Again

A few days had passed since Laxus and Mirajane befriended and spent a lot of time with each other, such as playing outdoors, reading books, learning new things, and the like. Just as Natsu, Gray, and the other servants had hoped, a new relationship has blossomed. At any rate, once they fall in love, the enchanted spell could break any day of the week. But since falling in love can take some time, the servants are not taking anything to chance, which is why Gray gathered all of the servants— every able-bodied furniture and utensil— for a special meeting.

"Okay, guys. You all know why we're here, right?" Gray announced, standing on Happy's back with a baton. "As you all know, Master Laxus and Mirajane are having a strong friendship, but we wanted to turn it into something way better than that. We have exactly 12 hours, 36 minutes, and 15 seconds to create the most magical, spontaneous, romantic atmosphere known to man or beast… or girls." He chuckled at his joke, but was met with puzzled looks on the servants' faces followed by the sound of chirping crickets.

"Right," Gray nodded. "As much as we love to see Master Laxus and Mirajane get along, time is running short for all of us." A living table with the enchanted rose encased in the bell jar moved to Gray's side. "If Master Laxus can love and be loved in return, the spell will be broken. But there's a time limit. He must find his true love before the last petal falls from that rose. If he doesn't, the spell will never… be… broken!" With each swing of his baton, Gray almost caused the bell jar to fall off the enchanted rose, much to the servants' horror. In response, the table moved away and caused Gray to slip and fall onto Happy.

"Ouch!" Happy cried.

Gray chuckled sheepishly as he stood up, "Sorry about that, Happy." He turned to all of the servants, "Okay, everybody. Don't doubt yourselves now. You're all part of the best royal staff Fairy Tail Castle has ever known. Each one's an expert in his or her field. I'm confident that with your combined efforts, we'll clean up this old, dusted castle and make it the most magical place anyone has ever seen! It'll be so magical, no one would recognize it!"

Juvia shouted from the back of the crowd, "My darling Gray is right! We can do this thing!" Immediately, all of the servants shouted and cheered in agreement.

"Then you all know your assignments," Gray confirmed, and he crossed his arms over, pointing in opposite directions. "Half of you to the West Wing, half of you to the East Wing, the rest of you, come with me."

Immediately, all of the servants rushed off, but instead of organizing into groups, they ran in different directions.

"I'm hungry! I could use some fish!" Happy yawned, and he escaped Gray's feet. This caused the latter to yelp and fall to the floor, a cog falling out of him as he did.

"Oh, lighten up, Gray," Natsu smiled as he helped him, with Lucy and Erza alongside him. "You did what you had to do. Everybody's motivated and working hard, and anytime now, the whole castle will be spotless." He then picked up the cog and began polishing it with his breath and candlesticks.

Gray argued, "How can you be relaxed when the rose could lose its last petal? It could be morning, noon, evening, and maybe soon."

Erza answered, "Because we have faith in our fellow servants and in Master Laxus. All we can do now is let nature take its course."

Lucy added, "It's obvious there's a spark between those two. Just look at how adorable Master Laxus and Mirajane are together!"

"Yeah, but it doesn't hurt to fan the flames a little," Gray replied, snatching the cog from Natsu and shoving it back into his clock door. "Besides, they must fall in love tonight if we ever expect to be human again."

Natsu sighed dreamily, "Ah… human again."

Lucy shared Natsu's expression, "Human again."

Erza added, "Human again."

"Yes… think what that means," Natsu fantasized, and he turned the handles on Gray's face so that they point to 12:00. Gray raised his eyebrow, but blocked his ears immediately as he chimed with a bell sound.

Natsu: _**I'll be cooking again**_ ** _  
Be good-looking again  
With a beautiful girl on each arm_**

Natsu grabbed Erza and Lucy around his arms.

 _ **When I'm human again**_ ** _  
Only human again  
Poised and polished and gleaming with charm_**

He looked at himself by a polished reflection on Erza's backside.

 _ **I'll be courting again**_ ** _  
Chic and sporting again_**

Erza: _**Which should cause several husbands alarm**_

Natsu: (laughed) _**I'll hop down off the shelf**_ ** _  
And toute suite, be myself_**

Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Erza: _**I can't wait to be human again!**_

As Natsu danced with Erza around his arms, we now cut to the perfume bottle Alzack Connell, the hair comb/his wife Bisca Connell, the powder puff Cana Alberona, and the hair brush Mest Gryder dancing with each other in Mirajane's mirror closet, while Asuka watched happily.

Alzack, Bisca, Cana, and Mest: _**When we're human again**_ ** _  
Only human again  
When we're knick-knacks and what-not's no more_**

 _ **When we're human again**_ ** _  
Good and human again_**

Their dance was interrupted when Juvia leaned on the mirror closet, causing it to bend, and Alzack, Bisca, Asuka, Cana, and Mest were forced to run away.

Juvia: (dreamily) _**Oh, dear, won't it all be top-drawer?**_ ** _  
I'll wear lipstick and rouge  
And I won't be so huge  
Why, it's beauty and romance galore!_**

 _ **I'll exude savoir-faire**_ ** _  
I'll wear gowns, I'll have hair  
It's my prayer to be human again!_**

Outside, in the castle stables, Erza and Gray were standing on a fence, with Gray wearing a farmer-styled hat and holding a pitchfork.

Gray and Erza: _**When we're human again**_ ** _  
Only human again  
When the world once more starts making sense_**

A bucket and a couple of brushes hopped past the fence. Gray went on to follow them, but the pitchfork suddenly moved and stuck itself on the ground, causing Gray to fly into the stables and into a bucket of water. Inside, Natsu was brushing Parakeet's nose.

Gray: _**I'll unwind for a change**_

Natsu: _**Really? That'd be strange**_

Gray: (ticked off) _**Can I help it if I'm t-t-tense?**_ ** _  
In a shack by the sea,  
I'll sit back sipping tea  
Let my early retirement commence_**

Gray dried himself with a towel, and then annoyingly covered it over Natsu's head.

 _ **Far from fools made of wax**_ ** _  
I'll get down to brass tax  
And RELAX!_**

Gray was cut short when Natsu took the towel off his head and slapped it on Gray's back, sending him splashing into the bucket of water again.

Servants: _**When I'm human again!**_

We now cut to the servants quick at work cleaning the tables, cabinets, windows, and carpets all throughout Fairy Tail Castle. Motivated by Gray's idea, they were cleaning every room and every hallway, leaving nothing unturned.

Servants: _**So sweep the dust from the floor**_ ** _  
Let's light some light in the room  
I can feel, I can tell  
Someone might break the spell  
Any day now!_**

 _ **Shine up the brass from the door**_ ** _  
Alert the dustbin and broom  
If it all goes as planned,  
Our time may be at hand  
Any day now!_**

Lucy: _**Open the shutters and let in some air**_

Erza: _**Put these here and put those over there**_

Servants: _**Sweep all these years**_ ** _  
Of sadness and tears  
And throw them away_**

In one particular area, the brooms swept the dust off a balcony, and it fell on Gray, who was organizing the shovels below on a windowpane. Through the window, the mops were mopping up the large dusty ballroom while dancing.

Servants: _**We'll be human again,**_ ** _  
Only human again  
When the girl finally sets us all free_**

 _ **Cheeks a-bloomin' again**_ ** _  
We're assumin' again  
We'll resume our long lost joie de vivre_**

On the hallway outside the ballroom, the armored suits cleaned their helmets with brushes.

 _ **We'll be playing again**_ ** _  
Holidaying again  
And we're praying it's A.S.A.P.!_**

Happy then dashed through the room, chasing a fluffy cushion named Carla, another Exceed and Happy's love interest.

Happy cried happily, "Carla! Come share fish with me!"

Carla yelled, "Stay away from me, tomcat!"

 _ **We will push, we will shove**_ ** _  
They will both fall in love  
And we'll finally be human again!_**

During the chase, dirty paw-prints were left on the ballroom floor, and the brooms and mops swept Happy and Carla out of the room, while cleaning up the dirt in the process.

Meanwhile, at the castle den, Mirajane is reading one particular book, with Laxus dreamily listening.

" _Realizing that Haru cannot access the Ten Commandants' final form…_ " Mirajane read from the book. " _Hamrio Musica forged the Ravelt, a manifestation of the bonds between Haru and his allies, and his sword's ultimate form utilizing the power of Rave!_ "

"So that must mean he has the power to destroy Dark Bring and save the Raregrove Kingdom!" Laxus said excitedly.

Mirajane laughed at his enthusiasm, "Wait and see."

Laxus said in amazement, "I had no idea books could do that."

"Do what?" Mirajane asked.

Laxus confessed, "Take me away from this place. Make me forget for a little while."

"Forget?" Mirajane asked curiously.

"Who I…" Laxus stopped, before he looked at his paws sadly. "What I am."

Mirajane gently closed the book and smiled softly, "We have something in common, you know."

"We do? What's that?" Laxus asked.

"In the town where I came from," Mirajane explained. "The people think I'm odd. Very odd."

"You? Very odd?" Laxus asked in surprise.

"Yes," Mirajane admitted. "I know how it feels to be different. And I know how lonely that can be."

Laxus nodded in understanding, "I believe you."

Mirajane grinned, "Thank you, Laxus." She opened the book back up and read again, " _With the power of all Ten Commandments at his command, Haru, with strengthened resolve, embarks to destroy what remains of Dark Bring and save the Raregrove Kingdom._ "

"Told you so," Laxus chuckled blushingly. "Hey, I liked the first chapter of _Rave Master._ Could you read it again?"

Mirajane suggested, "How about you? Why don't you read it to me?" She showed Laxus the book.

Laxus opened it and tried to process all the words in the book with little success. He finally stopped and confessed, "I can't."

"You mean you haven't learned?" Mirajane asked, looking concerned.

Laxus admitted, "I learned… a little. It's just been so long."

Mirajane said, "Well, here, I'll help you. Let's start at the first page." She turned to the first page of Chapter 1.

"Here, okay," Laxus began reading the first paragraph. "Um… _Once upon a teeme…_ "

" _Time,_ " Mirajane corrected.

" _Time._ I knew that," Laxus nodded. " _Once upon a time…_ "

We now cut to outside, where the servants had moved to the Kardia Royal Gardens to clean up, mow the lawn, plant the flowers, make grass sculptures, and turn on the water fountains which had never been used in a long time.

Servants: _**We'll be dancing again**_ ** _  
We'll be twirling again  
We'll be whirling around with such ease!_**

 _ **When we're human again**_ ** _  
Only human again  
We'll go waltzing those old one-two-threes!_**

 _ **We'll be floating again**_ ** _  
We'll be gliding again  
Stepping, striding as fine as you please!_**

 _ **Like a real human does**_ ** _  
I'll be all that I was  
On that glorious morn  
When we're finally reborn  
And we're all of us human…_**

Juvia: (joining in) **…** _ **again!**_

Juvia bursts out onto the balcony wearing a pink bathing suit, a cap, and fancy make-up. She jumped and dove a hundred feet into the water fountain pool, and all of the servants scattered. Eventually, Juvia landed into the water, which exploded everywhere on impact.

Nevertheless, all of the servants were proud of their accomplishments. Assuming that things went well between Laxus and Mirajane, everyone was now confident that tonight, the spell on them would at last be broken.


	13. Beauty and the Beast

It was the big night and the servants had carried out their well laid plan. In his room, Laxus was sitting in the bathtub, being washed and scrubbed by two of his coat rack servants.

"The cutie pie's gonna love your new look," the first servant named Erik said. "I can hear the crowds going wild for you!"

The second servant named Sorano added, "When we're through with you, you'll look so beastly handsome, Miss Mirajane won't recognize you."

Natsu entered the room and announced, "Tonight is the night, Boss. The night that everything finally changes for the better! Isn't this exciting?"

"I-I-I'm not sure I can do this," Laxus said nervously with his hair drooped on his face.

"Come on, you don't have to be timid, Boss Man," Erik smiled.

"Erik's right. We've prepared this night for a long time. We don't want to let it go to waste, do you?" Natsu gestured to the enchanted rose on the table. "You have to be your best, Boss."

Laxus nodded in understanding, "Yeah… be my best."

Sorano added, "You must be bold. Daring."

"Bold… Daring…" Laxus said with growing resolve. He shook himself off, but caused Erik and Sorano to get wet with water in the process, along with Natsu's candles extinguished.

"Water's ruining my lovely hair…" Sorano sighed, referring to her hair being a little bit wet.

As Laxus sat at the mirror with Erik and Sorano, Natsu stated, "Everything has been prepared for this moment. There will be music provided by our distinguished court composer, Freed Justine, decorations set up by our official castle decorator Evergreen, and romantic candlelight, provided by myself and Bickslow, of course. And when the moment is right…"

"That's the thing," Laxus interrupted. "How will I know when the moment is right?"

"You'll know it when you feel it right here," Natsu said, gesturing to his heart, with Laxus feeling his own by touching it. "You gotta speak from the heart."

"Speak from the heart?" Laxus asked.

Natsu chuckled, "Do I have to spell it out for you? You gotta let your heart out. You know, confess your love."

"Yes… I will… I'll confess my—" Laxus began, but chickened out and looked away from the mirror. "No… No, I can't."

"You care for Mirajane, don't you?" Natsu asked.

"More than anything," Laxus replied, with his hair forcefully but gently trimmed by Erik and Sorano with their hair equipment.

"Hold still," Sorano insisted. "Don't struggle."

Natsu asked again, "Well, what are you afraid of?"

"Nothing," Laxus shook his head, but Natsu raised an eyebrow at him. He admitted, "I'm afraid she might…"

"She might what?"

"Laugh at me."

"Then you just have to find the courage to tell her. You have that chance, you take it," Natsu informed. "Besides, I can tell she has the same feelings for you."

Having finished their trimming, Erik and Sorano stepped back, admiring Laxus's new look in the mirror. Erik spoke, "Voila! Good as new! You look so… so…"

"Stupid." Laxus's hair was tied up to pigtails and bows.

"Erik, that's not how it's done," Sorano said sternly, taking the comb and scissors from Erik. "Allow me. Perhaps a little more at the top…" She began grooming Laxus the right way, just as Gray entered the room clearing his throat.

"Your lady awaits," Gray announced and gestured to the door, as he bowed and chuckled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mirajane too, was preparing for the night, humming to herself as Juvia helped her put the finishing touches on her glittering silver ballroom gown.

"I hope tonight goes well," Juvia chuckled with a blush.

"So do I," Mirajane smiled. "But I wonder why he's so nervous."

"Master Laxus does have his shy side, you know," Juvia stated.

* * *

Down in the newly refurbished great hall, Mirajane emerged from the East Wing and descended the grand staircase. While she made her way down, Laxus emerged from the West Wing, dressed in a royal blue prince outfit. He instantly spotted Mirajane and felt his heart beat rapidly. He couldn't believe how enchantingly beautiful she looked in her silver evening gown. He could've stood there all night just staring at her, had not Natsu nudged him forward. Never taking his eye off the lovely Strauss girl, the Lightning Beast made his own way down.

As the two drew closer, Mirajane was surprised to see that Laxus was looking quite handsome, less like a beast and more like a royal prince attending a ball. Looking over his attractive blue attire and toned physique, Mirajane couldn't help but smile.

Without a word, the two stood in front of each other and paid respects in silence; Laxus bowed to her, while Mirajane curtsied, before they both went arm-in-arm down the last set of stairs and on their way to the dining table. At first, they were stopped on their trail by Happy, who was happily scampering around, but nonetheless pressed on. Erza then emerged from the stairs standing on the tea cart with Wendy and Romeo as it followed the couple into the dining room, and Erza began to sing.

Erza: **_Tale as old as time  
True as it can be  
Barely even friends  
Then somebody bends  
Unexpectedly_**

Laxus and Mirajane sat enjoying the delicious meals Gajeel had prepared. The chef was so excited about the dinner that he made all his signature dishes and enough food to feed an army. Once they were full, Mirajane stood up, took Laxus's hands, and playfully dragged him on their way to the ballroom.

 ** _Just a little change_**  
 ** _Small to say the least  
Both a little scared  
Neither one prepared  
Beauty and the Beast_**

Laxus gulped nervously, as he and Mirajane slowly prepared for a waltz. Natsu and another candle-holder named Bickslow watched on with smiles. They were standing on top of a piano, which was actually the castle's official court composer Freed Justine, who magically played his keyboard.

 ** _Ever just the same  
Ever a surprise_**  
 ** _Ever as before  
Ever just as sure  
As the sun will rise_**

As they continued dancing, Laxus was surprised to see that it wasn't going so bad and started to get more confident. It was Laxus's turn to lead the dance. Meanwhile, the decorations set around the ballroom by Evergreen glowed with illuminating lights. The castle decorator in question, transformed into a Christmas angel ornament, stood with Bickslow and Natsu.

 ** _Tale as old as time  
Tune as old as song  
Bittersweet and strange  
Finding you can change  
Learning you were wrong_**

Laxus glanced over to Natsu, Bickslow, Evergreen, and Freed who looked excited and nodded in approval, while Natsu simply gave the thumbs up.

 ** _Certain as the sun  
Rising in the east_**  
 ** _Tale as old as time  
Song as old as rhyme  
Beauty and the Beast_**

Natsu gestured Bickslow to lower the light in his candles a little.

 ** _Tale as old as time  
Song as old as rhyme  
Beauty and the Beast_**

Laxus and Mirajane slowly concluded their dance. The servants watched as Laxus held out his arm for Mirajane and led her towards the balcony outside. They all waited till the glass doors closed.

Erza turned to Wendy and Romeo, "Alright, kids, off to bed with you. It's past your bedtime." She kissed the two of them, "Good night, my dears."

Yawning, Wendy and Romeo slid off the tea cart and hopped out of the room. Before leaving, Wendy glanced back towards the balcony at Mirajane and Laxus with a delightful look on her face.

As soon as Mirajane and Laxus were already outside, Natsu, Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen let out tremendous cheers.

"YEEEEEESS!" Natsu cried excitedly. "WE DID IT!"

"You mean, 'they' did it, Natsu," Bickslow smirked. "Those babies just had the most romantic night of their lives!"

Evergreen added with a chuckle, "All the decorations I've set up around the ballroom finally paid off!"

Natsu called out to the ballroom door with a loud voice, "Hey, everybody! The coast is clear!"

Soon, the rest of the servants emerged from the door and began cheering as well.

"Great job, everyone!" Natsu smiled. "Tonight was a total success! We all deserve a good rest… and a swinging party at the kitchen! Follow me!"

All the servants cheered with joy and quickly headed towards the kitchen to celebrate, with Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen staying behind.

"They really pulled it off, haven't they?" Evergreen asked Freed.

"Of course," Freed nodded. "Master Laxus has matured greatly and considerably. At any rate, the spell will be broken and we will finally be human again. If they fall in love, of course."

Evergreen agreed, "They'd better be. I can't stand being an ornament for Christmas all day. I want my old beautiful looks back!"

"Me too! I miss my handsome face!" Bickslow added. "Baryon Formation doesn't run itself, you know!"

* * *

Outside, it was a brisk clear night. Laxus led Mirajane over to a stone bench and sat down side by side. As they contently looked up at the starry sky, Laxus inched his hand closer to Mirajane's and carefully laid it on top of hers. A huge smile plastered on his face, Laxus decided it was time to break the ice.

"Mira?" he asked timidly. "Are you… happy here with me?"

"Of course I am," Mirajane nodded happily. "Everything and everyone in this place has been so wonderful. Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Wendy… But most of all, you. I've never been so happy in all my life."

"I'm glad I made you happy. Seeing you smile always makes me feel good inside, too. If you weren't around, I don't know what I'd do. That's why I… I…" Laxus began, but before he could express his feelings, he noticed that Mirajane wasn't paying attention and was instead looking off into the distance. He also noticed a sudden sadness that appeared in her eyes which were now wet with unshed tears. "What is it?" he asked.

Looking up, Mirajane blinked away the tears that formed in her eyes. She said, "I'm sorry, it's just that… I still miss my brother and sister. If only I could see them again, just for a moment. I miss them so much."

Seeing how sad she was, Laxus felt a wave of guilt overcome him. After all, it was his fault that she couldn't see Lisanna and Elfman. Just then, an idea popped into his head. "There is a way."

* * *

Up in the West Wing, Laxus led Mirajane inside his room. She was surprised to see how different the place looked; all the broken furniture and wall decorations were refurbished and replaced, the floor had been swept, and the walls and windows had been dusted. In short, Laxus's room was now shining as bright as Evergreen's decorations at the ballroom. The only thing that looked out of place was the enchanted rose on the bell jar, which was wilting and had only a few petals left.

Leading her towards the table were the rose stood, Laxus picked up the silver magic lacrima and handed it to Mirajane. He told her, "This is a Mirror Lacrima. It will show you anything, anything you wish to see."

Mirajane gently took the Mirror Lacrima and said, "I'd like to see my sister Lisanna and my brother Elfman… please."

Instantly, the lacrima flashed a bright green light and it presented an image of the inside of a familiar house. She spotted Lisanna, dressed in clothing bought from Akane Resort's gift shop, alongside Meredy and Yukino, sitting on the sofa together and laughing merrily over tea and cookies.

Mirajane said incredulously, "Lisanna? How did she change her clothes? And... haven't I seen those two before? They look familiar..."

" _…my favorite part is the Fantasia Fireworks Concert,_ " Lisanna said to Meredy and Yukino. " _Every Sunday, magical fireworks ignite all over Akane Resort!_ "

" _That's my favorite part, too,_ " Yukino smiled. " _Whenever I see the angel-shaped fireworks, they remind me of my long-lost older sister Sorano._ "

" _You have an older sister?_ " Lisanna asked.

" _Yes,_ " Yukino nodded. " _Sorano was my inspiration and my support. She's a guardian angel. We had a lot of fun together, until she suddenly vanished seven years ago._ " She rubbed her chin in deep thought, " _I wonder where she went?_ "

Meredy giggled, " _First Mira, then Wendy, now Sorano? Guess you, Liz, and Chelia got a lot in common._ "

Lisanna giggled back, " _Yeah!_ "

" _Lisanna, you've got to try these almond cookies,_ " Yukino said. " _They taste so good!_ "

Having watched the entire image, Mirajane said happily, "At least Lisanna's okay. And look, she's made some new friends! I'm so happy for her." Just then, her expression turned into curiosity. "But where's Elfman?" She turned to the lacrima, "Show me Elfman, please."

The image on the Mirror Lacrima shifted to the vision of a dark forest. Mirajane spotted Elfman and Chelia breaking through a thicket of branches as they collapsed on their knees, coughing severely. Mirajane was shocked to see how terrible Elfman and Chelia looked, like they had gone for days without food or water. Their clothes were torn and dirty, the supply bag held by Elfman was completely empty and ripped to shreds, and their faces were full of cuts and bruises from wild animals.

" _C'mon, Elfman…_ " Chelia weakly urged on. " _We still haven't found that castle… It's been days... But we can do it. For Mira… For Wendy…_ "

Elfman wheezed, " _The wind is so… manly intense… I can't… move…_ "

" _Me… neither…_ " Chelia cried. Letting out more severe coughs, she and Elfman fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Oh, no!" Mirajane exclaimed worriedly. "Poof Elfman… He's sick. He was trying to find me, and he brought someone with him to help. I can't believe he'd go out on his own like that. Elfman and that other girl… They could be dying, and there's no one around to help! I have to do something!"

Seeing Elfman in such a bad state, Laxus knew he wouldn't last long. If he died, Mirajane would be awfully sad. Laxus wouldn't want to see her sad. He swore that he would do anything to make her happy, even if it meant taking the hardest choice of all. Casting a glance at the wilting rose, Laxus knew what he had to do. And finally, he made his heart-wrenching decision.

"Then you… you must… you must go to him."

Mirajane looked at him in surprise, "What did you say?"

"He's your brother, right? You should be there for him," Laxus said with a heavy heart. "Get to your brother, before it's too late."

"But what about—" Mirajane began.

"I release you," Laxus told her. "You are no longer my prisoner. You haven't been for a long time, anyway. I know now I can't keep you for myself anymore. You're free to go, whenever you like."

"You mean… I'm free?" Mirajane asked in surprise.

"Yes," Laxus nodded sadly.

Immediately, great relief overcame Mirajane. She said, "Oh, thank you, Laxus. Thank you." She looked back into the Mirror Lacrima, "Hold on, Elfman. I'm on my way."

Turning to leave, Mirajane realized she was still holding the lacrima and walked back to Laxus. She tried to give it back, but Laxus pushed it back towards her. He said, "Take it with you, so you'll always have a way to look back, and remember me."

"I'll never forget you, Laxus," Mirajane smiled sadly.

"Mira, I…" Laxus attempted to confess his love again, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her. All he could say was, "Thank you. Thank you, Mira, for giving me the greatest kindness I could ever ask for."

"And thank you, Laxus, for being so kind to me as well… and for understanding how much my brother and sister need me," Mirajane replied, and she gently caressed her hand around Laxus's cheek. She then pulled him into a hug, prompting him to return it with his own. Both of them enjoyed the warmth and protection of each other's arms before reluctantly pulling away. With one last glance, Mirajane turned around and walked out of the room.

For a while, Laxus stood silently in front of the rose. Soon, Gray entered the room.

"Well, Master Laxus, I gotta say, everything's going quite well. I always knew you had it in you," Gray smiled confidently. "So, where'd Mira run off to?"

Laxus looked away, "I let her go."

"Oh, I see. That's—" Gray then paused as he registered what Laxus had told him. "Wait, what?! You let her go?! How could you do that?"

"I had to," Laxus replied.

"But… but… why?" Gray asked, trying to make sense of everything.

"Because…" Laxus spoke his answer with all his heart. "I love her."

* * *

" **HE DID WHAT?!** "

In the library, Natsu, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, and Romeo were completely shocked at what Gray told them.

"Yeah… It's true…" Gray nodded sadly. "It's official. Mira's leaving the castle."

"She's going away?" Wendy asked in disbelief.

"But he was so close!" Natsu shouted.

"Yeah! Just as we're all about to celebrate!" Romeo pouted.

Lucy added, "Why did he suddenly decide to let her go?"

"He didn't say exactly," Gray explained. "He said that he had to let her go… because he loved her."

"After all this time… Master Laxus has finally learned to love," Erza thought out loud.

"That's it, then!" Natsu said in realization, his candles bursting excitedly. "That should break the spell!"

"I'm afraid it's not enough," Erza shook her head. "She has to love him in return."

"And now it's too late," Gray said sadly. Lucy instantly burst into tears and cried onto Natsu's shoulder, the latter trying to comfort her. As the group continued musing over Mirajane's departure, no one ever noticed Wendy quickly leaving the room.

Except for Romeo, of course. "Hey, Wendy! Wait up!" With that, he hastily followed Wendy out of the room.

* * *

Outside, Laxus sadly watched as Mirajane climbed onto Parakeet's back and began racing away from the castle. His heart throbbed as depression wrapped itself around him. Fixating his gaze on the night sky, he unleashed his anguish in the form of a loud, mournful roar to the heavens, the thunder and lightning in his body pulsating his pain and sorrow.

From afar, Mirajane could hear the sorrowful roar, her own heart breaking along with it. She was close to tears herself, but she had to pull herself together. The safety of her siblings came first.

"Elfman!" Mirajane shouted her brother's name over the howling wind, with Parakeet galloping as fast as he could. "Elfman? Elfman!"

After half an hour of searching, Parakeet finally spotted Elfman and Chelia lying unconscious in the snow. Mirajane looked where her horse was looking and gasped as she spotted them.

"Elfman!" Mirajane called out as she disembarked from Parakeet and raced to Elfman's side. "Are you okay? Wake up!"

At first, Elfman didn't respond, but then he suddenly let out a raspy gasp followed by shallow breathing, with Chelia moaning slightly in her unconscious state. Relieved that the both of them were still alive, Mirajane took off her cloak, placed it around Elfman and Chelia simultaneously to warm them up, and lifted them unto Parakeet's back. Once all three were onboard, Parakeet rode off.

Just then, during the ride back to the village, Chelia slowly lifted her eyes open, and her vision was blurry when seeing Mirajane's face.

Chelia moaned, "W-What happened…? Where am I?"

Mirajane sighed with relief, "Good. You're alive, too. What's your name?"

Chelia answered weakly, "Chelia… Blendy…"

"Don't worry, Chelia. You're going to be fine," Mirajane assured comfortingly. "We're taking you back to my place."

 **A moment later…**

"Hey, look! It's Mirajane!" Yukino exclaimed.

"And Chelia, too!" Meredy added.

"Big Brother Elf!" Lisanna cried, tears suddenly streaming down her face. "Mira's come back with him!"

The three were surprised and delighted at the same time to see Mirajane carrying Elfman and Chelia's slightly conscious bodies.

"You're back, Mira!" Lisanna tearfully screamed, hugging Mirajane's body. "And Big Brother Elf, too! Where have you been? I'm so worried about you!"

"No time to explain," Mirajane said. "They need help! Let's get them inside!"

As Mirajane, Lisanna, Meredy, and Yukino guided Elfman and Chelia inside, a snowman next to the porch shivered, before it crumbled to reveal Kain Hikaru, who had been watching quietly from his hiding spot out in the cold. Once they were inside the house, Kain popped out of the snow with a triumphant look.

"Good, they're back!" Kain grinned to himself, before he dashed away.


	14. Kill the Lightning Beast!

"Mi… Mira…?"

Elfman woke with a groan as he felt something cold and warm pressed against his forehead. Opening his eyes, he looked up and was surprised to see Mirajane holding a wet towel on his head, with Lisanna, Meredy, and Yukino alongside her.

"Big Brother Elf!" Lisanna cried. "You're awake!"

Meredy breathed with relief, "I thought he was done for."

"Lisanna… You're here… Meredy and Yukino, too. And…" He slowly turned to Mirajane, "Mira?"

Mirajane gently shushed him, removing the rag and placing a hand against his cheek. She said, "It's alright, Elfman. It's me. I'm home now."

With tears of joy falling from his eyes, Elfman pulled Mirajane in an even tighter hug, with Lisanna joining them. He breathed, "Oh, Big Sis… I thought I'd never see you again."

"Me too," Lisanna nodded.

"I miss you both, so much," Mirajane sniffled. The three Strauss siblings managed to hug for some time before they released each other.

"Hey, has anyone seen Chelia?" Elfman asked.

"I'm over here," Chelia called out, and she was sitting on the bed next to Elfman's, happily waving her hand, "All I needed was a good nap. Nap did the trick, body feels fine."

"That's a manly relief," Elfman grinned. He turned to Mirajane, "How'd you get out of that castle? You know, the place run by that Lightning Beast?"

"I didn't escape," Mirajane explained serenely. "He let me go."

Lisanna, Elfman, Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino gasped at that reaction. Lisanna spoke up, "That horrible monster?!"

Meredy questioned, "The Lightning Beast actually released you from the dungeon?"

Yukino asked, "But how?"

Elfman added, "How can that unmanly beast of a beast let you blow the coop?"

Mirajane answered, "I know it's strange, everybody, but it's true. The Lightning Beast is much more different then what we first met him. He's changed now. He's become so kind, gentle, and a truly wonderful person."

"Is it true?" Lisanna asked in concern. "Did he really let you go?"

"You're not saying it because that lightning dude threatened you, did he?" Elfman crossed his arms. "Or did he do something to your mind?"

Mirajane shook her head, "It's the truth. Laxus has changed for the better."

Meredy's face widened with shock at the mention of Laxus and the Lightning Beast being of the same name. She exclaimed, "Huh? Laxus is the name of the…"

Lisanna interjected, "…Lightning Beast?"

"Of course he has," Mirajane nodded. "Laxus used to be a bully, but now he's become a great friend of mine. We have so much in common, which is why he let me go find you. I value our friendship as much as I value you two."

"Well, that's our big sis for ya," Elfman remarked with a grin. "She's always honest and not afraid to speak her mind. Your manly attitude must've gotten a big effect on that lightning dude before he'd tear your head off." He turned to Mira, "Mira, you're not just the big sis in the family, but a big genius as well."

Mirajane smiled back, "Why, thank you, Elfman. It means a lot."

"And you're asking why those three girls came to our house a few days ago," Lisanna said to Mirajane. "It's a long story…"

"No need to explain," Mirajane assured. "Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino told me everything." She turned to the three girls, "I want to thank you all as well for taking care of my brother and sister. For a second there, I thought you were fangirls drooling over Zancrow."

Chelia chuckled, "Oh, it was nothing. All in a day's work."

"Wait a minute! Hold on!" Meredy interrupted. "Before we get all touchy and stuff, there's something we need to talk about. Now that it's just the six of us…" She cleared her throat, "It's time we talk about how Laxus and the Lightning Beast are one and the same."

"One and the same?" Mirajane wondered. She was about to speak, until a loud clanking noise came from behind. Everyone turned to where Mirajane's satchel was and saw it moving around on its own. It fell off the chair and onto the ground, causing the Mirror Lacrima to fall out along with the teacups, Wendy and Romeo, who looked slightly dizzy, but cheerful.

"Hi!" the two teacups said happily as they leaped towards Elfman's bed.

Chelia, Yukino, and Meredy were extremely surprised at seeing the two teacups moving and talking right in front of their eyes. They exclaimed in unison, "WHOA! TALKING TEACUPS?!"

Mirajane giggled, "Oh! A couple of stowaways from Fairy Tail Castle."

Meredy's face was struck with confusion again. "Fairy Tail… Castle?"

Elfman chuckled, "Hey, hello there, little guys."

Lisanna smiled, "Didn't think we'd get to see you again."

Romeo replied, "Same here, Mr. Elfman and Miss Lisanna. Glad to see you're feeling better, though. Remember the cup of tea we gave you?"

Wendy giggled playfully, "Technically, Romeo, WE'RE the cup of tea."

Romeo laughed in agreement, "I know, right?"

Mirajane asked, "What are you two doing here?"

Romeo countered, "We were about to ask you a question."

Wendy began, "Why do you have to go away? I thought you liked staying with us. With me and Romeo and Natsu and Miss Erza and everyone…" A single tear fell from her eye, "Don't you like us anymore?"

Mirajane smiled warmly, "Oh, Wendy, of course I do. It's just that…"

"Wait, w-w-w-w-what did you say?" Chelia asked in surprise, the mention of Wendy's name catching her attention.

Mirajane replied, "I said that I like Laxus, Natsu, Erza, and the others. It's just that..."

"No, no, no! You said something about Wendy! How did you know Wendy? Was she in the castle?" Chelia cried hopefully, standing up from her bed and shaking Mirajane's shoulders.

"Yes," Mirajane nodded. "She's one of Erza's assistants along with Romeo. Most of the time, she serves tea. Wendy is a very sweet and kind girl."

"YOU MADE FRIENDS WITH WENDY?!" Chelia exclaimed at the top of her voice. She then began jumping up and down excitedly. "So she's okay! I can see her again!"

"You know her?" Mirajane asked.

"Yeah!" Chelia nodded. "Wendy's my best friend!"

During the conversation, Wendy turned her head towards Chelia. Her eyes widening in shock, she hopped on top of the mirror closet and approached Chelia, looking her over in disbelief. "I don't believe it… Chelia? Is that you?"

Chelia turned her attention to the teacup standing on the closet. Her voice was trembling, and her eyes were starting to form tears, "Is it… Is it really you…? Wendy…?"

Wendy was about to cry as well, "C-C-Chelia…?"

Soon, there was stunned silence. The tears on both girls' eyes never ceased to flow. And then…

"WENDY!" Chelia screamed tearfully.

"CHELIA!" Wendy sobbed. "I've missed you so much!"

Unable to contain her happiness and joy any longer, Wendy leaped on top of Chelia's hands, and Chelia lifted Wendy up her face for the teacup to nuzzle her cheek. Both girls couldn't help but let their emotions of anxiety and doubt overflow in the form of tears. Mirajane, Lisanna, Elfman, and Yukino could only watch and feel touched by the moment of this heartfelt reunion between two childhood friends. Meredy, on the other hand, was confused.

"That's a manly reunion…" Elfman remarked with tears falling from his eyes. "WHY MUST IT BE SO CUTE?!" Mirajane and Lisanna patted him at the back, calming him down.

Yukino smiled delightfully, "Isn't that cute?"

"Yeah…" Meredy said unsurely. "Cute."

Chelia sniffled, "Oh, Wendy… Where have you been? What's happened to you?"

"You're not upset with me?" Wendy asked. "Even with what happened to me?"

"It doesn't matter," Chelia said with immense joy. "All that matters is that we're back together again."

Flabbergasted by the revelation that Wendy and Chelia were friends, Yukino shook her head, "I'm sorry, I'm confused. You mean, all this time, you and that teacup were…"

"Yeah, I wish I could've told you sooner," Wendy said bashfully. "Chelia and I were best friends. We played together seven years ago. But our time together ended when my family decided to move to Fairy Tail Castle. That's when I met Romeo, and I became friends with him and all the people in the castle."

"Why didn't you let me know you were okay?" Chelia asked Wendy.

Wendy answered, "I've been living in the castle for so long, I don't know if I can let you know anymore. But I'm okay this whole time. Everyone in Fairy Tail Castle is so nice and friendly."

Chelia smiled contently, "I'm glad to hear that. But I'm glad most of all to see you." She nuzzled Wendy with her cheek, making her giggle.

"Wait just a minute!" Yukino snapped, interrupting everyone. "First, you told us that Laxus and the Lighting Beast are the same guy, then this teacup says she's friends with Chelia, and she came from Fairy Tail Castle?! Somebody's gotta tell us what's going on! This must be a trick or something!"

"I think you're right!" Chelia nodded in agreement. "Why did Wendy turn into a teacup? Last time I saw her, she has short blueberry hair and she's smaller than me." She turned to Wendy, "I think it's time you tell us the truth, Wendy. Why are you a teacup?"

That caught Romeo's attention. He protested, "No! No, Wendy! Don't tell them anything! We'll get in big trouble for this!"

Ignoring Romeo, Chelia smiled teasingly at Wendy, "Come on, Wendy. You want to tell us the big secret, don't you? You know what they say, 'the truth will set you free.'"

Wendy sweated nervously. She knew she wasn't going to get off so easily. For the sake of her Fairy Tail Castle friends, she didn't want to tell them about how she was cursed, but there was nothing she could do at this moment. Even Romeo's protests won't help.

"Out with it, Wendy," Chelia threatened with a giggle. "Or prepare to take some extreme tickling!"

Wendy cried bravely, "You wouldn't dare!"

Chelia smirked and turned Wendy upside down, rubbing her downside with her fingers. Wendy laughed hysterically and tried to resist the tickling, but it was too much to take. Chelia was winning over her best friend. Eventually, Wendy screamed, exhausted from the battle. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright, alright!" Wendy shouted. "You win! I'll tell you!" She then sighed and turned to Mirajane, "How can you deal with that, Mira?"

"Oh, a little truth won't hurt," Mirajane responded with a smile. "You can tell us anything. We won't get mad. We promise." Lisanna, Elfman, Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino nodded in agreement.

"We're doomed," Romeo groaned, and he repeatedly hit his head on the wooden side of the bed.

Wendy took a deep breath, ready to confess her secret…

…until she was suddenly interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Both Wendy and Romeo sighed with relief, and they turned to each other smiling. They were glad that their secret is still safe… for now.

"I'll get it!" Mirajane offered. She went downstairs to answer it, and was surprised to see Jose Porla, the owner of the Phantom Lord Asylum, standing there. "May I help you?"

"Hello, Miss Mirajane," Jose said formally. "I am Jose Porla of the Phantom Lord Asylum for Loons. I've come to collect your brother, Elfman."

Mirajane asked confusedly, "Elfman?"

"Oh, don't worry, my dear," Jose smirked. "We'll take good care of him." He then gestured to his guards standing before the asylum carriage, along with dozens of villagers who had shown up to watch.

Realizing what was happening, Mirajane angrily protested, "My brother isn't crazy!"

Kain Hikaru emerged from the crowd and said, "Elf-Boy was at the tavern earlier this week, raving like a lunatic! We all heard that, didn't we?

"Yeah!" the crowd yelled in agreement, waving their torches. From the side of the house, Zancrow smiled devilishly as his plan was being set in motion.

"No! There has to be some mistake!" Mirajane shouted.

"Big Sis?" Elfman called, coming out of the house with Lisanna, Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino.

"What's going on?" Lisanna asked.

"Hey, look, everybody!" Kain shouted with fake enthusiasm. "It's Elf-Boy and Lizzie! Haven't seen you two in a while." He turned to Elfman, "Say, Elf-Boy, why don't you tell us again just how big and terrifying WAS the 'Lightning Beast?'" He then turned to Lisanna, "And he said you were in on it, too, Lizzie. Go ahead and testify for your big brother."

Elfman began, "It's just like I told you all. He has long fangs, big claws, dragon-like scales, and his body's buzzing like a battery! And he's yellow!"

Lisanna added, "Yeah! We were on our way to the talent show, but the Lightning Beast caught us, and Mira saved us! That beast is enormous! He's at least ten, no… fifty feet tall!"

Chelia placed a hand on Lisanna's shoulder, "We believe in you guys."

Meredy gave a thumbs up, "You've got us for backup."

Lisanna smiled, "Thank you, Chelia, Meredy, Yukino." She turned to the crowd, "You have to believe us. There a real Lightning Beast in a castle! And moving furniture, too!" Elfman nodded in agreement.

Immediately, the crowd bursts out laughing, much to Lisanna and Elfman's dismay, and the three girls' annoyances.

"Here we go again," Yukino rolled her eyes.

Kain laughed smugly, "Well, you don't get much crazier than that!"

Lisanna protested angrily, "It's true! The Lightning Beast was real! So were his servants, like that talking clock and the teapot!"

Elfman added, "A real man always tells the truth! When did we ever lie to you?!"

"Get the tall guy outta here! And that girl too!" Kain ordered. On cue, Jose waved his hand, motioning the four guards to advance. They grabbed Lisanna and Elfman by both arms and dragged them towards the carriage. "Lizzie's got herself her first trip to the asylum, paid by us!" Kain stated.

"Hey! Let us go!" Elfman shouted, fighting and kicking against the guards. One of them punched Elfman in the gut, causing him to lurch over.

"Let us go! Please, let us go!" Lisanna screamed, trying to break from the guards' hands to no avail.

"No! No! Stop it!" Mirajane pleaded with Jose. "You can't do this!" Jose, however, just shook her off and walked away.

Chelia said sadly, "Poor Mirajane…"

"Who could've done this to them?" Yukino asked.

As Mirajane and the three girls looked on in disbelief, Zancrow walked up from behind, clicking his tongue in disappointment. He said, "Poor Mira… It's a shame what they're doing to your bro and sis."

Mirajane turned to Zancrow, "You know they're not crazy, Zancrow. Right?"

Zancrow replied, "Now that you mention it, I might be able to clear up this little misunderstanding, if…"

"If what?" Mirajane asked.

"If you marry me," Zancrow said, smiling down at her.

"What?" Mirajane asked in shock. As she looked at his smug face, a realization struck her. He was the one behind this whole thing! Even the three girls were quick to realize it!

"Wait, so this whole thing was just a set-up to force Mirajane into marrying Zancrow?" Chelia exclaimed.

"He fell for Mira when he should've fallen for one of us!" Meredy pointed out.

"For a tall, dark, strong, and handsome brute, that was downright dirty!" Yukino stated angrily.

Chelia and Meredy agreed, "Yeah!"

"C'mon, Mira, one little word. That's all it takes," Zancrow smirked, running his finger down her cheek. But before he could plant a kiss on the lips, Mirajane slapped him across the face.

"Never!" she shouted.

"Have it your way," Zancrow scoffed, as he turned and walked away.

The asylum guards, still restraining Lisanna and Elfman, were almost reaching the carriage. Knowing she had to do something to prove her siblings' sanity, Mirajane quickly ran back into the house and picked up the Mirror Lacrima from the floor. She reemerged and screamed, "My brother and sister are not crazy and I can prove it!" She held up the Mirror Lacrima, "Show me the Lightning Beast!"

The lacrima lit up brightly and Mirajane turned it towards the crowd. Shown in the reflection was Laxus the Lightning Beast, roaring towards the sky in a torrent of thunder and lightning. The crowd shouted and recoiled in fear upon seeing the image of the terrifying creature. Kain lets out a frightened squeak and hid behind Zancrow, who seemed to have gone a little pale.

"You see? He is real! My brother and sister weren't lying, so let them go!" Mirajane demanded.

Instantly, the asylum guards released Lisanna and Elfman and jumped hastily back into the carriage. Jose, particularly, was shaking with fright. He turned to Kain, "I'm sorry, Mr. Hikaru, our time is up. Here's my bill." He frantically handed Kain the bill, and jumped into the carriage after his guards. With the crack of the whip, the horse sped the carriage down the road and back into town.

"I don't believe it…" Yukino said as she and the other girls stared at the reflection. "There really was a Lightning Beast. The Strauss siblings were right."

Meredy chuckled sheepishly, "Well… that explains a lot."

"Is it dangerous?" Belno asked from the crowd.

"Oh, no," Mirajane said, trying to reassure her. "He'd never hurt anyone. I know he looks vicious, but he's really kind and gentle. He's my friend." She looked affectionately at the Mirror Lacrima, "My very best friend."

"Your very best friend?" Chelia gasped, and she borrowed the Mirror Lacrima from Mirajane, staring at Laxus's image with sympathy and pity. She cooed, "Aww, look at the poor kitty! He's so cute and all alone! Poor kitty needs to find a place to be loved! We need to help him!"

Elfman interrupted, "Uh, just for the record, he's scaly, not furry."

"I know," Mirajane nodded, taking back the Mirror Lacrima from Chelia. "But I still like him all the same." She turned to Laxus's image with a compassionate smile.

Seeing the look on Mirajane face, Zancrow was overcome with rage and jealousy. He frowned, "You know, Mira, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you had feelings for this monster."

"He's no monster, Zancrow," Mirajane snapped, backing away and clutching the Mirror Lacrima. " **You are!** "

Zancrow's face was wrought with absolute shock at Mirajane's reaction. No one in his life has ever called him a 'monster' before, for all his handsome good looks and physique. Frustration and rage rose in his body like he never felt before. Breathing rapidly, Zancrow sneered angrily at Mirajane, raised his hand, and gave a stinging slap across her face, causing her to fall backwards and drop the Mirror Lacrima on the floor. The crowd gasped loudly, with Elfman, Lisanna, Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino taking it the hardest. Chelia fainted and collapsed to the ground, the cruelty too much for her to handle.

Lisanna said, completely stunned, "Mira… How… How could he…"

Elfman shared Lisanna's expression, "Did he just…"

Zancrow's anger continued to fester as he pointed an accusing finger at Mirajane. "You're just as crazy as your brother and sister!" he yelled. He snatched the Mirror Lacrima from the ground and turned to the crowd, "The Lightning Beast is a murderous monster with bizarre magical power! He'll destroy our town, burn down your houses, and make off with your children!" All of the villagers gasped in panic as frightened mothers grabbed their children. "He'll come after them in the night!"

Mirajane cried, "No!"

"We're not safe until his head is mounted on my wall!" Zancrow declared. "I say we kill the Lightning Beast!" The mob yelled angrily in agreement and began getting their torches and pitchforks.

Org: _**We're not safe until he's dead**_

Michello: _**He'll come stalking us at night**_

Belno: _**Set to sacrifice our children**_ ** _  
To his monstrous appetite_**

Ichiya: _**He'll wreak havoc on our village**_ ** _  
If we let him wander free_**

Zancrow: _**So it's time to take some action, boys**_ ** _  
It's time to follow me!_**

He threw a torch onto a haystack, igniting it and creating a bonfire.

 _ **Through the mist, through the woods**_ ** _  
Through the darkness and the shadows  
It's a nightmare, but it's one exciting ride_**

He then chased Kain around.

 _ **Say a prayer, then we're there**_ ** _  
At the drawbridge of a castle  
And there's something truly terrible inside_**

 _ **It's a beast**_ ** _  
He's got fangs, razor sharp ones  
Massive claws, killer claws for the feast_**

 _ **Hear him roar! See him foam!**_ ** _  
But we're not coming home till he's dead  
Good and dead! Kill the Beast!_**

Mirajane pushed past the crowd and grabbed Zancrow's arm, yelling, "No, I won't let you do this!"

Zancrow grabbed Mirajane by the arm and said, "If you're not with us, you're against us. Boys! Bring her brother and sister, and lock 'em all up in the cellar! We can't have them running off to warn the creature!"

Kain interrupted, "One problem, Zancrow. They have Take-Over Magic. They can easily bust out."

"Darn," Zancrow snapped his fingers in disappointment. "Then I guess we'll just have to throw them in the inventor's basement. The front doors have anti-magic metal around it."

Kain nodded in agreement, "Sounds good to me."

Zancrow turned to his crew, "Alright, boys, let's get this over with." With the snap of his fingers, all the members of his group ambushed and grabbed Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman. Before they could take the Strauss siblings to the inventor's house, they were stopped at their tracks by an angry Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino.

" **NO!** " the three girls shrieked furiously in unison.

"Stay away from Mira and her sibs, you big bully you!" Chelia screamed. "They've been through enough already!"

"Mira was right about you!" Meredy yelled. "All this time, we fell in love with a totally handsome murderous moron!"

"If you want them, you'll have to go through us!" Yukino shouted adamantly.

The three girls stood tall against the crowd, ready to take on anything Zancrow and his cronies can throw at him. Just then, a smirk formed around Zancrow's lips.

Chelia asked her friends nervously, "Uh, why is he smiling at us?"

 **A few seconds later…**

Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman, along with Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino, were already tossed into the cellar of the inventor's house.

"That should keep them quiet for a while," Zancrow smirked. "I never liked those three fangirls, anyway," He turned to Mirajane, "And as for you, my future wife… I'll give your regards to your Lightning Beast friend. I'll give him a personal invite to our wedding… his head would make a great centerpiece."

"Zancrow, you monster!" Mirajane screamed angrily. "You won't get away with this!" Elfman, Lisanna, Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino shouted in agreement.

"Just try and stop me," Zancrow smiled evilly. "See ya later, fiancée." Instantly, the cellar doors, fitted with anti-magic metal, were closed and bolted.

"Let us out!" Mirajane cried, futilely banging on the doors.

Back outside, Zancrow turned to Kain and the rest of his cohorts with the Mirror Lacrima in hand. "Now, if there are no interruptions, let's get down to business, boys!" he announced. "We'll rid the village of this Lightning Beast! Who's with me?"

"I am!" the mob yelled, while unknown to them, Wendy and Romeo were outside, looking out worriedly.

Mob: _**Light your torch, mount your horse!**_

Zancrow hopped onto his horse.

Zancrow: _**Screw your courage to the sticking place**_

Mob: _**We're counting on Zancrow to lead the way**_

 _ **Through a mist, to a wood**_ ** _  
Where within a haunted castle  
Something's lurking that you don't see every day!_**

The mob walked through town, and the townspeople in their houses waved good-bye and wished them good luck.

 _ **It's a beast**_ ** _  
One as tall as a mountain  
We won't rest till he's good and deceased_**

 _ **Sally forth, tally ho**_ ** _  
Grab your sword, grab your bow  
Praise the Lord and here we go!_**

"We'll lay siege to the castle and bring back his head!" Zancrow yelled.

 **Back in the inventor's cellar…**

Elfman struggled fiercely to punch the windows with his fists. But no matter how many times he punched, the window doesn't seem to break, and it only strained his hands. He remarked, "Those are some really manly windows! They don't break like they used to!"

"The cellar doors are preventing any of us from using magic," Lisanna stated. "If only I had my automatic knife, I can bust the lock and get us outta here!"

"We have to keep trying! I have to go warn Laxus!" Mirajane shouted. "This is all my fault. What are we going to do?"

Meredy assured, "Don't be hard on yourself, Mira. We'll think of something."

Chelia agreed, "Yeah! You gotta stay positive!"

Outside of the cellar, Wendy and Romeo looked from the basement window and gasped when they saw Mirajane and the others trapped.

"Oh, no! Mira!" Wendy cried. "They're trapped! We gotta do something, Romeo!"

The two hopped over the cellar doors and tried to open them, but failed. As Wendy and Romeo tried thinking of ways to bust them out, a glint caught Romeo's eye in the distance. He turned to see an automatic wood-chopping machine attached to four wheels sitting atop a hill. Catching a glimpse of the axe, Romeo's eyes widened in excitement. "Oh!"

Wendy turned to Romeo, "Romeo?"

"I have an idea! C'mon!" Romeo said, and he hopped his way to the machine, with Wendy following him.

 **Meanwhile…**

In the woods, the mob was getting closer and closer to Fairy Tail Castle, chanting about their determination to destroy the Lightning Beast.

Mob: _**We don't like**_ _ **what we don't understand**_ ** _  
In fact, it scares us  
And this monster is mysterious at least_**

They chopped down a tree and cut off half of it to use as a battering ram. Together, they all lifted it up and proceeded to the castle entrance.

 _ **Bring your guns, bring your knives**_ ** _  
Save your children and your wives  
We'll save our village and our lives!_**  
 _ **We'll kill the Beast!**_

 **Meanwhile at Fairy Tail Castle…**

By this point, the whole castle knew about Mirajane's departure and everyone had wallowed in self pity following the depressing news, yet they were blissfully unaware of the coming danger. At the library, Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy were sharing some lingering concerns.

"I knew it," Gray frowned. "I knew it was foolish to get our hopes up."

"Now things are worse than before," Lucy sniffled.

Natsu crossed his arms angrily, "Maybe it would've been better if she'd never come at all."

"Guys! Guys!" Happy cried, suddenly entering the room and catching everyone's attention. "You gotta check outside!"

Natsu gasped, "Could it be?"

"Is it she?" Erza said hopefully, before they all hurried over to the window. But it wasn't who they thought it was. Instead, they saw the angry mob carrying torches, pitchforks and other weapons, along with the large tree trunk.

"Holy meatballs!" Natsu gasped. "Invaders!"

"Intruders!" Gray exclaimed.

"But how did they get here?" Lucy asked.

Erza saw Zancrow gripping the Mirror Lacrima in his hand, "They've gotten ahold of the Mirror Lacrima!"

"Warn Master Laxus," Gray shouted, as Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and Happy quickly hurried out of the room. "If it's a fight they want, we'll be ready for 'em! Who's with me?" He then turned around and was surprised to see everyone had left and the doors were closed.

Outside the castle, the mob stood before the large doors, and the sky darkened and began to rain. Zancrow ordered his group, "Take whatever booty you can find. But remember, the Lightning Beast is mine!"

Back inside, all of the servants made their way to the main hallway door.

Servants: _**Hearts ablaze! Banners high!**_ ** _  
We go marching into battle  
Unafraid, although the danger's just increased!_**

Outside, the mob picked up the battering ram.

Mob: _**Raise the flag, sing the song**_ ** _  
Here we come, we're fifty strong  
And fifty people can't be wrong  
Let's kill the Beast!_**

They rammed the door hard, while from the other side, the servants stopped in front of it, struggling to resist the continuous loud bangs.

Meanwhile, Erza had arrived at the West Wing. She faced Laxus, who wallowed in misery and stared aimlessly at the rose and its last remaining petals, and was now wearing a purple shirt, black pants, and his usual velvet cape.

"Pardon me, Master," Erza asked urgently.

"Leave me in peace," Laxus said sadly.

"But, sir!" Erza cried. "The castle is under attack!"

Outside, the mob continued ramming at the door.

Mob: _**Kill the Beast! Kill the Beast!**_

Inside, the servants were trying to barricade the door, but they were starting to fail as they were losing their footing and were gradually being worn down by the force of the battering ram.

"This isn't working!" Juvia yelled. "We can't hold on much longer!"

"C'mon, Natsu!" Lucy cried. "We gotta do something!"

Suddenly, Natsu got an idea, "Wait! I got it!"

Mob: _**Kill the Beast! Kill the Beast!**_

Back in the West Wing, Erza asked Laxus, "What should we do, Master?"

"It doesn't matter now," Laxus said grimly, ready to accept whatever fate was handed out to him. "Just let them come."

Mob: _**Kill the Beast! Kill the Beast! Kill the Beast!**_

They finally broke in.


	15. A Hassle in the Castle

After busting the door wide open, the villagers made their way inside. They felt triumphant at first, but were quickly silenced when they saw the inside of the foyer. Everything was dark and empty, save for a pile of oddly arranged furniture and knick-knacks sitting in the middle of the room, which unknown to the villagers, were Natsu and the other servants hiding. As the villagers cautiously looked around, Kain Hikaru approached a small table and picked up the candelabra in an effort to bring some light in the room. And then suddenly, the candelabra sprung to life!

" **NOW!** "

That was the cue. The lights in the castle turned on and the furniture and items sprang to life, hurling themselves at the villagers. Taken off guard, the villagers were getting pummeled by frying pans, mops, coat racks, utensils, rugs, mugs, cabinets, hat-hanging sticks, and many more. Everything from the largest wardrobe to the smallest fork was fighting with all their might, determined to protect their castle home.

Zancrow, too, was caught off guard by the whole commotion, but he still had his eyes set on finding the Lightning Beast. Not wanting anything to distract him, he slipped away to the stairs.

* * *

Back at the cottage, Wendy and Romeo had finished dragging pieces of wood into the wood-cutting machine's boiler and were now powering it up by blowing air onto the kindle. With each puff, the fire grew larger until the machine was fully powered and operational. "Yes!" Wendy cheered.

"Here we go!" Romeo cried excitedly, and he yanked on a pull string, which caused the machine to move towards the cellar doors.

From inside the cellar, Lisanna peered through a crack in the doors with Mirajane, Elfman, Chelia, Meredy, and Yukino behind her. "What the heck?" Spotting the wood-cutting machine rolling down the hill and coming at them at full speed, she quickly pushed the others out the way, screaming, "Everybody, look out!"

The contraption hacked its way through the cellar doors before falling down the stairs and imploding upon itself. Mirajane and the others peeked out of their hiding places and were surprised to see Wendy and Romeo hanging casually from a loose coil from the broken machine.

"Wendy! You saved us!" Chelia cried happily, and she took Wendy from the loose coil and nuzzled her with her cheek. "You're a hero!"

Wendy giggled, "That's what friends are for."

Romeo recommended to Mirajane and the others, "You guys gotta try this thing."

"Don't worry! I'll save you!" a frantic voice echoed from outside. "I'll save you in the name of love!"

"That voice..." Chelia quickly heard the familiar voice.

Immediately, a 24-year old girl with large pink hair wearing a black vest top, a matching skirt, and a cat ear-shaped hairband appeared in front of the broken cellar doors. The girl held a crowbar, and tears were rolling down her cheeks. She screamed, "I'll save you, Chelia!"

"Cousin Sherry?" Chelia said in surprise.

"Huh?" Sherry dropped her crowbar when she saw Chelia, and her expression turned from frantic to joyful. "CHELIA!" she cheered, before pouncing at Chelia and crushing her into a big hug. "Oh, Chelia! I thought I lost you!" She then continuously kissed Chelia's forehead.

"It's okay, Cousin Sherry. I'm fine," Chelia assured.

"Those horrible men!" Sherry exclaimed angrily. "How could they do this to you? You were only testifying for that poor kitty in the magic lacrima. Testifying for love."

Meredy whispered to Yukino, "She thinks the Lightning Beast is cute, too?"

Yukino shrugged, "I don't know. Guess it runs in the family."

"As your eldest cousin, I'll do my best to support my family and anyone who's a friend. So let's get to that castle you're talking about!" Sherry suggested.

"You'll help us?" Chelia asked hopefully, with Mirajane and the others joining in.

"Sure," Sherry nodded with a smile. "When I first saw the Lightning Beast, he didn't look scary to me. By the look on his face, he's very sad and lonely. It looks like he needs someone to take care of him, to have a friend, to have love. He's just a poor little kitty. We can't just sit around here. We have to be there for that poor kitty, and give him love." She turned to Mirajane, "Oh, and Mirajane, you said you're friends with the Lightning Beast, right?" Mirajane nodded. "Well, any friend of Chelia is a friend of mine, and any friend of Mirajane who is a friend of Chelia is a friend of mine as well. So I'm coming with you."

Mirajane smiled back, "We're glad to have you with us, Sherry."

"Welcome to the team, Cousin Sherry!" Chelia cheered, raising her hand. "Hi-five!"

"Yeah!" Sherry replied happily, and the two hi-fived each other.

Mirajane turned to the others with a serious look, "We need to hurry. Zancrow's on his way to the castle."

Sherry offered, "I've got a carriage that can take us all there. But the bad news is, it needs a horse."

Hearing that, Mirajane got an idea and said, "I got it! Everyone, follow me!"

* * *

Back at Fairy Tail Castle, the battle was raging on. Despite their best efforts, the villagers continued to get beaten down by the castle servants, who overwhelmed them in both strength and numbers. In one corner, Bacchus Groh was hit in the face by tomatoes tossed by a group of mugs. Enraged, Bacchus was about to hit them with his shovel, until a voice caught his attention.

"Up here, you scurvy scum!" Bacchus looked up and saw Erza on a railing with six teacups holding steaming hot water. "Now!" Erza yelled, and she and the teacups poured the hot water on Bacchus, who screamed in scorching pain.

On the other side of the room, Juvia the wardrobe jumped from the railing with a thunderous battle cry, "FOR MY BELOVED GRAY!" She fell right on top of Ichiya and pressed him with her enormous weight, cracking the floor on impact and knocking him out.

* * *

Meanwhile, Zancrow kicked open a door in the hallway with his Flame God Slayer Magic, but found nothing, before he continued his search.

* * *

Back downstairs, Juvia fought valiantly against the surrounding Tri-Men. With one sweeping motion, she was able to smack aside Hibiki and Eve with her doors, and nail Ren in the jaw with her drawers. Appearing from one of her drawers, Alzack, Bisca, and Asuka emerged, glaring at Ren.

"Let's show 'em what we Connells are made of!" Alzack shouted.

"Yeah!" Bisca nodded with determination.

"YEE-HAW!" the Connell family jumped and dragged Ren inside Juvia's closet, before she spat him out, revealing him to be dressed in woman's clothing thanks to the Connells' handiwork. Ren screamed and ran away, embarrassed by his new look.

"Now that is a ravishing new look!" Juvia smirked proudly, with the Connells nodding in agreement.

In another corner, Natsu was nervously backing against a corner by a menacingly laughing Kain, sticking a torch in front of him. He could feel the wax from his candles melting and started hyperventilating in fear.

Suddenly, appearing on top of the stairs was Gray, who was wearing a general's hat and holding a gun in one hand and a scissors blade in another. Looking to where Natsu and Kain were, he laughed maniacally and slid down the banister with the scissors poking right into Kain's butt. Kain screamed painfully as he flew into the air.

* * *

Meanwhile, Parakeet was riding a carriage on his way back to Fairy Tail Castle. Mirajane was sitting on the coach's chair, holding the reins, while Lisanna, Elfman, Chelia, Sherry, Meredy, and Yukino were inside the carriage.

"…and I got to see Wendy, my best friend, for the first time in forever," Chelia narrated to Sherry. "But she's looking different from when I last saw her. She's a teacup now, and she has a friend who's also a teacup. See?" She showed Sherry the teacups Wendy and Romeo to make her point.

"Hi, Sherry," Wendy introduced. "My name is Wendy Marvell. And this is my friend, Romeo. It's nice to meet you."

Sherry smiled, "It's nice to meet you too, Wendy and Romeo. I'm Sherry, Chelia's cousin."

"Hey, I wonder what happened to Mr. Jose? The one who tried to throw Big Brother Elf and I into the asylum?" Lisanna asked.

Elfman shrugged with a grin, "Oh, he's probably thrown into his own asylum, because no one believed he saw the Lightning Beast." He chuckled proudly, "He got what he deserved."

 **We now cut to the Phantom Lord Asylum…**

"A beast… A beast… A beast… A lightning beast…" Jose continued to shiver in fright with a straightjacket covering his whole body in a white room. Throughout the asylum, every patient from Wally to Millianna to Simon was released from confinement and they all celebrated their long-awaited freedom from that dreadful place, since the one who owned the asylum was locked up.

All because no one believes he saw the Lightning Beast.

* * *

Back at the castle, more and more of the villagers were beginning to retreat back outside the castle, overwhelmed by the sheer power of the castle servants. Some villagers, however, continued to stay and tried putting up a fight.

In one corner, Azuma was mercilessly ripping Lucy's feathers. "NATSU! HELP!" she screamed.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Natsu yelled angrily, and he hopped over to Azuma's backside and held his breath with one of his candlesticks. When he blew, it caused the candlestick on top of his head to ignite in a burst of flame. It scorched Azuma in the butt, and he screamed painfully.

Natsu caught the falling Lucy in his arms. She smiled at him and said, "My hero!" With that, she kissed Natsu passionately on the lips, the latter returning it happily.

Meanwhile, Kain, Zoldeo, and Rustyrose were chasing Happy, before they cornered him in the kitchen. They laughed evilly and approached the frightened footstool.

"Hey, guys," Happy chuckled nervously. "Let's talk about this."

Suddenly, the drawers opened, revealing the sharp kitchen utensils and a manically laughing Gajeel, who turned on all of his knobs and dials at full power, causing him to erupt into a monstrous inferno of fire. Kain, Zoldeo, and Rustyrose were so terrified they turned and ran straight back out of the kitchen doors.

"LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!" Kain screamed horrifyingly. Soon enough, he and all of Zancrow's goons (Zoldeo, Rustyrose, Azuma, Yomazu, and Kawazu) fearfully fled the castle and stumbled off into the forest, while the rest of the villagers stayed outside in the castle gardens, fatigued from battle. The castle servants erupted into cheers of victory, jumping up and down in celebration.

"That's what happens when you mess with Fairy Tail Castle," Gray called out to the fleeing members of Zancrow's group and the exhausted villagers remaining.

Natsu laughed proudly and said, "We did it, buddy! Put 'er there!" With that, he slapped Gray on the head with his left candlestick, which inadvertently set his head on fire.

"AAAAAGGGHH!" Gray screamed hysterically, and he ran around in circles like a maniac. "MY HEAD IS ON FIRE! MY HEAD IS ON FIRE! MY HEAD IS ON FIRE!"

Natsu chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, "Oops."

Gray kept on screaming 'MY HEAD IS ON FIRE', until Erza blew hot tea out of her spout and extinguished the fire on his head. Gray panted and wheezed, "Never… again…" He fainted unconsciously to the ground.


	16. Laxus Versus Zancrow

While most of the villagers were fleeing from the castle, Zancrow was getting closer to finding Laxus. Entering the West Wing, he found the doors leading to Laxus's bedroom and kicked them open. He fueled himself with Flame God Slayer Magic, expecting to see the Lightning Beast ready to pounce at him. Instead, he saw Laxus sitting sadly by a mantle near the rose, which was down to its last two petals. Taking advantage of this distracted state, Zancrow breathed with all of his might.

" **Flame God's Bellow!** " Zancrow breathed his massive black fireball attack straight to Laxus's back. The powerful blast connects, making Laxus roar in agony and blasting him through the window, breaking it and tossing him over to the balcony.

Zancrow laughed amusingly, "As fast as lightning! See what I did there?" He jumped over to where Laxus was, his hands pulsing with black flames. "I'm going to enjoy this."

The Flame God Slayer charged in at Laxus, and decimated him with rapid magical punches and kicks. Zancrow pounded with all of his might, each blow weakening Laxus further. " **Flame God's Divine Fist!** " He finished by smashing Laxus with a mighty fist of black flame, making him fall backwards over the edge and stumble down the rooftop.

Laxus stopped rolling, and Zancrow slid down after him. Zancrow proceeded to pound Laxus again with the same strategy. The last blow forced Laxus to fall hard onto the flat narrow edge below. Zancrow stood menacingly over the moderately weakened and bruised Lightning Beast.

"Is that it? Is that all you got?!" Zancrow shouted angrily, before he kicked Laxus hard, causing him to roll over and further towards the edge. "C'mon, I want a real challenge! Get up!" When Laxus didn't reply, Zancrow furiously kicked him in the chest again.

"I said, get up!" Zancrow repeated. Laxus tried feebly to stand, but the pain he took from the Flame God Slayer caused him to flop back down, much to Zancrow's amusement. He said mockingly, "What's the matter, Lightning Beast? Too 'kind and gentle' to fight back?"

Laxus just stared down sadly, and he still didn't reply. If Zancrow wanted him dead, who was he to argue? Perhaps this was the fate held out in store for a beast like him. The Flame God Slayer looked down at the Lightning Beast and scoffed, thinking he'd be more of a challenge. Instead, it seems he needs someone to put him out of his misery. Wanting to take that pleasure, Zancrow's body pulsated with a dark aura, with every intention of finishing Laxus off. Until…

"No!" a voice cried in the wind.

Hearing the familiar voice, Laxus lifted his head to see Parakeet riding the carriage over the castle bridge, with a familiar person holding the reins. And that's…

"Mira?" Laxus uttered.

"No!" Mirajane shouted, horrified to see Zancrow ready to strike. "Zancrow, don't!"

Zancrow, however, refused to listen and clenched his immensely black flaming fist before throwing it. However, the fist was suddenly blocked by an open palm. Zancrow was shocked to see Laxus standing up on both feet. With eyes of anger and determination, the Lightning Beast was ready to fight now that Mirajane had come back.

Seeing what was happening, Mirajane snapped the reins. "Let's go, Parakeet!" she said, and the horse whined valiantly and dragged the carriage straight ahead, bursting through the doors and entering the castle gardens.

When Parakeet stopped, Mirajane, Elfman, Lisanna, Chelia, Sherry, Meredy, and Yukino hastily disembarked from the carriage. Elfman shouted, "Alright, guys! Let's get this over… Huh?" The group was surprised to see the villagers that had followed Zancrow to the castle earlier were sitting and standing around the gardens, exhausted from their battle with the servants and needing time to recuperate. "What's happened to them?" Elfman wondered. "And here, I thought they're a manly angry mob."

Lisanna assumed, "Maybe Natsu and the others fought back without Laxus's help." Just then, she and the others heard shouts of victory and celebration from the main hall's entrance. "I stand corrected."

"Let's go!" Mirajane urged Lisanna, Elfman, and the gang to follow her to the front doors. Unknowingly, in one corner of the gardens, Ren Akatsuki was able to notice Sherry with a surprised look.

"Sherry?" Ren said puzzled. "My honey blossom? What are you…"

Mirajane and the group opened the front doors to see Natsu, Gray, and the rest of the castle servants celebrating their triumph over the villagers.

Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Erza turned their heads and exclaimed loudly in unison, "Mirajane?!"

Natsu asked, "What are you doing back here?"

"I need your help!" Mirajane said desperately. "Laxus is in trouble!"

"Trouble?!" Erza gasped.

"But we chased off the angry mob," Lucy replied. She turned to Lisanna and Elfman, and her eyes widened, "And hey, isn't that…"

"Lasagna and Shelby?" Natsu asked, trying to recall the name of Mirajane's siblings.

"Lisanna and Elfman," Gray corrected Natsu with a frown.

"Not everyone's chased out," Lisanna interjected. "We saw Zancrow fighting Laxus on the roof. We have to help him!"

"Then we've got no time to lose!" Natsu shouted. "Follow us!"

Lisanna insisted, "We'll come, too."

Elfman grinned, cracking his knuckles, "Time to show that Zancrow jerk what happens when you mess with a girl, you mess with a real man."

"No," Mirajane shook her head. "You and Lisanna stay here with Chelia, Wendy, and the others." She turned to the staircase determinedly, "Laxus needs me." Together, she, Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy charged up the staircase towards the West Wing.

"Good luck, Big Sis!" Elfman called out.

"Be careful, Mira!" Lisanna added.

"Kick his butt for us!" Chelia and Sherry shouted in unison.

"We're counting on you, Mira!" Yukino rooted.

"This place… Could it be…? Meredy wondered, her thoughts focused on the castle instead of Mirajane.

As soon as Mirajane, Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy left, the coat rack servant Sorano emerged from one of main hall's doors. "That was a close call. A heck of a battle with those awful mobsters," she smiled. Just then, Sorano stopped in her tracks and gasped in complete disbelief when she saw Yukino's face among the group. "Yukino?!"

* * *

"Look!" Lyon Vastia pointed upward. "Up there!"

The villagers anxiously looked up to see two powerful lights at the top of the castle, one glowing yellow and the other glowing black, and both grew immensely powerful with each second. This indicated that the Lightning Beast and the Flame God Slayer were powering up with their own brand of magic: Laxus with the thunder and Zancrow with the black flames. They stared each other in the face, the thunderstorm in the sky setting up the mood for their inevitable showdown.

"Now that's more like it," Zancrow smirked, cracking his knuckles. "In my day, I've fought and slain countless beasts and walked away unharmed. But I knew you'd be much more of a challenge for me." He motioned his hand at Laxus, "C'mon, Lightning Beast! May the best man win!"

The two clashed, the collision of their magic destroying a portion of the castle around them. Laxus and Zancrow lashed out, one strike after another, with kicks, punches, tackles, blocks, counters, and special magical attacks. Their epic battle took them around the upper parts of the castle, from the tower roofs to the balconies, a trail of destruction left behind in their wake. During the brawl, the walls exploded and the towers collapsed. Talk about going overboard for an epic duel!

The war between the Lightning Beast and the Flame God Slayer continued for at least ten minutes, until they transformed themselves into balls of fire and lightning and flew into the sky. They clashed for dominance as if in a sword duel, until Laxus managed to land a blow down on Zancrow's head, crashing him down onto a tower. A lightning bolt blasted down on Zancrow and forced him down onto the roof. From the rubble, Laxus lifted Zancrow and kicked him. With his fingers, Zancrow grabbed the surface to slow down his speed, and he fell frontward.

Despite a few serious injuries, the two opponents were still standing. Laxus was rubbing his bleeding nose, while Zancrow spat out a loose bleeding tooth from his mouth. The two once again prepared to attack.

" **Flame God's Kagutsuchi!** " Zancrow clasped his fists and fired a large flame blast at Laxus.

" **Lightning Beast's Demolition Fist!** " Laxus fired a spell materializing into a large fist at Zancrow.

The two blasts collided into smoke and ashes. Once the smoke cleared, the two rivals began charging themselves for another attack.

" **Flame God's Bellow!** "

" **Lightning Beast's Roar!** "

By collision of the two beams, Laxus jumped up and transformed himself into a lightning bolt that hit Zancrow directly in the chest, making him gag. Zancrow countered by kicking Laxus to the jaw in a backflip, and the two slightly recuperated.

Zancrow stated, "I was bred to be a warrior, Lightning Beast. Trained my whole life to master my true potential. Behold! This is the true power of my Flame God Slayer Magic! **The power of a god!** "

With a mighty shout to the heavens, Zancrow exploded in an extremely powerful aura of black flames, burning away the ripped and tattered clothes around his upper muscular body. Boosted by his magical power, Zancrow floated into the air sneering at the Lightning Beast's shocked face; he had never expected the Flame God Slayer to boost his magic up to eleven. But Laxus was ever vigilant; he was not going to give up that easily. He will protect his castle and his servants to the bitter end, no matter what.

Transforming into a bolt of lightning, Laxus dashed towards Zancrow and pushed him upward to the clouds, before Zancrow countered with a kick to the face. The two clashed once again, this time in an aerial duel. With each blow dealt, each sound caused the thunderstorm to grow and intensify, which symbolized the fierce rivalry between the two. Mirajane's family and friends, the castle servants, and the villagers could only look up to the sky and watch as flashes of black and yellow illuminated the gray clouds.

" **Lightning Beast's Jaw!"** Clasping both hands, Laxus threw a lightning-powered double hammer fist that knocked Zancrow back down to the roof, ending the aerial brawl. " **Lightning Beast's Iron Fist!** " He dealt the second blow by hitting Zancrow directly in the chest with a lightning fist.

" **Flame God's Supper!** " Zancrow quickly recovered and clasped his hands together to launch a mouth-shaped attack of black flames. Unfortunately, what he destroyed turned out to be the statue of a gargoyle, indicating that Laxus used his Lightning Magic to slip away from harm.

Zancrow got back up and saw that he was surrounded by countless statues of different creatures. "Where are you?!" he demanded amongst the motionless figures. Hearing nothing but the thunder, he began searching the statues for Laxus. " **Where are you?! Come on out and fight!** " Zancrow shouted in frustration. "Were you in love with her, Lightning Beast? **Did you honestly think she'd want you when she had someone like me?!** "

Suddenly, Zancrow heard movement and turned around to see Laxus throwing a lightning punch at him. The Flame God Slayer dodged and began parrying Laxus's blows. When Laxus was wide open at the last parry, Zancrow smirked and charged all of his Flame God Slayer Magic for a special surprise.

" **Flame God's…** "

Laxus roared and dashed towards Zancrow.

" **…** **Divine Fist! Supper! Scythe! Explosive Flame! Kagutsuchi! Flame Elbow!** " Zancrow utilized dozens of God Slayer techniques, which ultimately devastated Laxus, even shattering the protective scales around his body.

And then, Zancrow charged for his final attack. " **God Slayer Secret Art: Black Lotus: Arrows of Agni!** " With the flicker of his hands, Zancrow summoned thousands of black arrows from his fingers that homed in on Laxus and smashed him on impact. His body severely weakened by Zancrow's ultimate attack, Laxus collapsed to the floor, exhausted.

"It's over, Lightning Beast!" Zancrow declared, preparing to finish him off. " **MIRAJANE IS MINE!"**

Laxus's eyes narrowed in response. Suddenly, the thunder and lightning from the sky fell down on Laxus, forcing Zancrow to reel back. Once the lightning struck his body, he replenished all of his Magic Energy, despite the grievous injuries that remained during the battle.

"What?!" Zancrow exclaimed. "You used lightning from the sky to get your strength back?! What kind of a monster are you?!"

Laxus stood up and replied with pure anger in his voice, "I'm your worst nightmare." As the lightning around his body reached optimum levels, Laxus advanced to a fearful Zancrow with fury in his eyes. "This castle is my home, and the people living in it are my family! And anyone who hurts them… **gets no mercy from me!** "

Charging all of his powers, Laxus unleashed a series of special techniques of his own against Zancrow. " **Lightning Beast's Iron Fist! Talon! Wing Attack! Sword Horn! Lightning Elbow! Demolition Fist! Heavenward Halberd!** " And the finishing blow, " **Roaring Thunder!** "

The full force of Laxus's attacks completely devastated Zancrow, causing him to fall from the sky and collapse to the ground in defeat. His body severely wounded, he was exhausted and no longer able to stand. As the weakened Flame God Slayer struggled with his last bit of strength to move away, Laxus grabbed him by the throat and lifted him over the edge of the roof.

"Let me go. Let me go!" Zancrow begged fearfully, his voice cracking. "Please don't hurt me! I'll do anything! ANYTHING!"

Laxus was prepared to throw Zancrow off the roof. Then he paused. He remembered all the pain he had caused as a Lightning Beast, which was the same way he acted towards Mirajane the first time they met, and he realized he was about to do worse to this helpless man. Looking at the whimpering Zancrow, he realized he wasn't that monster anymore. And never again did he want to be. Pulling Zancrow back to the roof, Laxus looked at him with an emotionless frown.

"Get out," he said coldly, and he threw the Flame God Slayer to the ground in disgust. Zancrow said nothing, overcome with shock and relief.

"Laxus!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Laxus looked up to see Mirajane leaning over the edge of the balcony. "Mira?"

Mirajane smiled as she saw Laxus down there. He had never felt this happy to see her again. He then climbed up the roof until he was close to the balcony. "Mira..." Laxus repeated her name and held his hand out to Mirajane, who took it. Overcome with joy, he gently brushed her hair and smiled widely, "You came back."

From the ground behind them, Zancrow was coming back to his senses. As he spotted Mirajane and Laxus together, his raging jealousy re-emerged and he mustered his remaining strength to stand back up. His Magic Energy may have been depleted and he may not have the strength to fight anymore, but he did have one more trick up his sleeve. Reaching into his pocket, Zancrow took out a small knife and climbed towards the couple.

Meanwhile, Laxus's hand was held close to Mirajane's cheek. Just then, she looked over Laxus's shoulder as Zancrow appeared behind them. "Laxus, watch out!"

Laxus quickly scooted out of the way, but Mirajane didn't react fast enough and her screaming mouth was gagged by a hand as Zancrow grabbed her body with his left arm around it, his right arm brandishing the knife around her neck.

"MIRA!" Laxus screamed.

"Stay back!" Zancrow bellowed with a murderous tone, raising his knife close to Mirajane's neck. "Unless you want to see your 'girlfriend' die before your eyes! I've had enough trouble for a lifetime!"

Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy, who had followed Mirajane to Laxus's room, were also shocked to see Mirajane's life threatened by Zancrow. Mirajane was struggling to scream for help, but all of her efforts failed with Zancrow's hand around her mouth.

"No!" Laxus pleaded. "Don't do this!"

"MIRAJANE IS MINE!" Zancrow roared at the top of his lungs, his body trembling. "NO CAN HAVE HER! **NO ONE!** "

Natsu and the others joined Laxus and interjected angrily, "Stop it! You don't have to do this! Just leave her alone and go find another girl or something!"

Lucy added, "Yeah! Find someone who actually loves you for once!"

"You think I care about opinions from pieces of junk like you?!" Zancrow retorted fiercely, causing Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy to back away. "This isn't about love. It's about getting what I want! What I deserve! And I'm not letting anything or anyone stop me!"

"But killing someone is your way of showing love for her?!" Erza argued angrily. "This is going too far!"

Zancrow yelled, "All I ever wanted was to make Mirajane my wife! To make her mine! But she refused to listen. She chose not to marry me, and instead, she wanted to be friends with a monster like him." He referred to Laxus, "That's why I had to kill him as an example. I will not be denied over some silly affection for a hideous beast!"

Laxus protested, "She has nothing to do with you!"

" **SHE HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH ME!** " Zancrow screamed, inching the knife closer to Mirajane's neck.

" **LET HER GO!** " Laxus demanded with a roar.

" **NEVER! MIRAJANE WAS EVERYTHING TO ME! SHE WAS MY ONLY HAPPINESS!** " Zancrow roared back. "All I ever wanted was to win her heart! To make her love me! And what did she give me in return? **NOTHING!** " His murderous glare turned to Mirajane's fearful eyes, "There is where I draw the line. If I can't have her, NO ONE can!" He kept his grip on the knife and turned to Laxus, "Lightning Beast, I'll just tell the villagers you killed her, but I avenged the death of my true love by killing you. You'll all be dead, anyway! One way or another, Mirajane belongs to me! Even if it means by extreme measures!"

Laxus, Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy exclaimed in unison, "You wouldn't!"

"I would!" Zancrow replied sadistically. He turned to Mirajane with a sneer, his knife at the ready, "Do you have any last words, my little wife?"

Grimacing in anger, Erza squirted hot tea from her nose which splashed Zancrow in the face, causing him to scream at the scorching pain. He held his face, trying to dry it with his hands, which caused Mirajane to crumple onto the ground near the balcony's edge.

After a few seconds of recovering, Zancrow turned to Mirajane, glaring with murderous intent. With an incomprehensible yell, he pounced with his knife directed to her stomach…

…but the blow never landed on her. It landed on someone else.

" **LAXUS!** "

Mirajane screamed at the top of her voice, shocked to have seen Zancrow stabbing the knife at Laxus's chest through the soft spot of his shattered scales. In light of this heinous act, Zancrow's expression of rage soon turned into a triumphant one. He originally intended to use Mirajane as bait to kill the Lightning Beast, but killing him directly was what mattered the most. Once he's finished with him, Zancrow would at last have Mirajane.

But before Zancrow would strike again, Laxus, in a last-ditch effort, used all of his draining strength to throw him off the edge of the balcony. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning appeared and struck dangerously close behind Zancrow. There was a loud cracking noise, and the edge Zancrow was standing on began breaking beneath, causing him to lose balance. Mirajane quickly reached forward and pulled Laxus back, while Zancrow already slipped as the edge gave out from under him. Letting out a piercing scream, the Flame God Slayer plunged hundreds of feet to his death into the deep chasm below.


	17. True Love Transforms

Not long after the demise of Zancrow, Mirajane gently helped the mortally wounded Laxus onto the balcony, just as Lisanna, Elfman, Chelia, Wendy, and Meredy rushed into the room and joined Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy, who were heavily concerned with Laxus's fatal injury.

"Mira!" Lisanna and Elfman cried out, rushing to Mirajane's side.

"Are you alright?" Chelia asked Mirajane. "What happened?"

Erza explained worriedly, "That wicked man stabbed Master Laxus through the soft spot from the protective scales that shattered during the battle."

Wendy gasped, "Oh, no…"

Meredy looked at Laxus concerned, "He doesn't look so good…"

Natsu asked Chelia, "Hey, has anyone seen the rest of your pals? Those girls with the short silver hair and the long pink hair?"

"You mean Yukino and Cousin Sherry? They stayed behind downstairs at the garden, convincing the villagers that the Lightning Beast is not a monster, but a very poor kitty," Chelia answered. "They want to let everyone know he's a good guy."

* * *

We now cut to Sherry and Yukino explaining their story about the Lightning Beast to the puzzled villagers in the castle gardens.

"The Lightning Beast may be ferocious on the outside," Sherry convinced. "But he's a very good person on the inside. Deep down, he's a very adorable kitty. Why do you all have to waste your senseless violence on a poor kitty? We should give him love instead."

Ren peered from the crowd and spoke up, "When I first joined the mob, I had second thoughts about that monster's look. He doesn't look scary to me, like my wife Sherry said earlier."

Just then, the coat rack servant Sorano emerged from behind Yukino and Sherry. She said to the crowd, "I can see the puzzled looks in your eyes, darlings. We are not your enemies. We just wanted to defend our castle home. If you would all gather round, I'll tell you the full story about the castle, the spell, and the Lightning Beast. Listen carefully."

Yukino nodded, "Yes… please do, Big Sis. Tell us everything."

* * *

Meanwhile on the balcony, Mirajane looked over Laxus's bleeding injury and shed a single tear from her face. She gently cradled him into her arms. From the side, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Lisanna, Elfman, Chelia, and Meredy watched with heavy hearts.

"Laxus?" Mirajane whispered, smoothing her hand around Laxus's face.

"M… Mira…" Laxus groaned and stared weakly at her. "You… You... came back."

"Of course I came back. I couldn't let them…" Mirajane held him close. "Oh, this is all my fault. If only I had gotten here sooner."

"Don't… Don't blame yourself… Maybe… maybe… it's better… it's better this way," Laxus coughed.

"No, don't talk like that," Mirajane cried, almost about to break down. "You're going to be alright. We're together now. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see."

Laxus slowly reached up to stroke her cheek with his paw. He breathed, "At… At least I… I got to see you… one last time."

"Laxus…" Mirajane held his paw to her cheek, unable to stop her tears.

Turning sickly pale, Laxus closed his eyes and his head fell back. His hand slid from Mirajane's face and fell limply to the ground. With a rattling gasp, the Lightning Beast breathed his last.

Mirajane's eyes widened in shock and disbelief, her hands held to her mouth. "No… NO! LAXUS!" She tried shaking him, but he remained limp. "LAXUS, PLEASE! WAKE UP!"

Natsu whispered sadly, "He's… he's gone…"

" **LAAAXXXXUUUUSSS!** " At the top of her lungs, Mirajane screamed Laxus's name into the rainy night, accompanied by the ongoing thunder and lightning. A stream of endless tears fell from Mirajane's eyes. "No… no… Please, Laxus. Please… Please don't leave me." She buried her face in Laxus's chest and started crying. "I love you."

From behind them, the last petal of the enchanted rose fell off. Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Erza, and Wendy watched sadly as the rose finished wilting. Natsu sadly bowed his head, and Erza started tearing up with Gray placing a comforting shoulder on her back. Wendy and Lucy took it the hardest as they cried uncontrollably: Lucy in Natsu's arms, and Wendy on Chelia's cheek. Lisanna, Elfman, Chelia, and Meredy too, were also saddened by Mirajane's loss.

As Mirajane continued crying over Laxus, small colors illuminated from the clouds. Mixing with the rain, the golden beams of light descended upon the castle. That caught Mirajane's attention as she saw the sparks growing brighter and brighter with each drop. Sitting up, she stopped crying and stared in confusion. Suddenly, the sparks began swirling around Laxus's body, causing him to levitate off the ground and float into the air. The group moved back and watched in awe and anticipation.

The gold sparks started covering Laxus's body and slowly, he began to change before everyone's eyes. His paws shrunk down into normal human hands, his scales became a muscular body with a black tattoo, and his feet changed into human feet. Soon enough, the rest of Laxus's body glowed, and in a flash of light which caused everyone to shield their eyes, another man was in the place of the Lightning Beast.

As the light faded, Mirajane and the others watched in amazement as Laxus gently floated down to the ground. Mirajane cautiously motioned to touch him, but quickly jerked her hand back when he began moving on his own. He stood up shakily, looked at his hands in amazement, and finally, he turned to face Mirajane. The face of Laxus's new form had blue gray eyes with his hair slicked back, its numerous spiky strands pointing backwards, though some hair fell down in a small tuft on his forehead. The one thing that hadn't changed, though, was the lightning-bolt scar in his right eye, and he still wore the purple shirt and black pants.

Laxus felt a wave of excitement and relief as he realized that not only was he alive, but he was human again. The spell had been broken!

Lisanna gasped, "Wow… He turned into a…"

"…real man?" Elfman added.

"No way…" Meredy exclaimed. "Is that… Could it really be…?"

Laxus took Mirajane's hands, the latter looking very confused and a little skeptical, as if she had never seen him before. He spoke, "Mira… it's me."

Looking him over, Mirajane could hardly tell if she was looking at the same person and decided to take a better look at his face. She then noticed his brilliant blue gray eyes and the lightning-bolt scar. Remembering them from before, she smiled widely, knowing for sure who he was.

"It is you!" Mirajane exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "Oh, Laxus… I thought I lost you…"

"You almost did… but never again," Laxus said, returning the hug. "You saved me, Mira… in more ways than one." After releasing the hug, he continued, "Mira, I just want to say… I love you." He caressed her hair, "I always wanted to tell you, but I was just too afraid to tell you."

"And I love you too, Laxus," Mirajane confessed. "I always have and I always will."

Smiling back at each other, the two leaned in, wrapped their arms around each other, and shared a kiss. As soon as their lips touched, the ground around them began to glow and the sparks of light reappeared. Spinning quickly around them, the sparks shot off into the sky and exploded into a fireworks display. The villagers in the castle gardens said 'Oooooo', amazed by the exploding bright lights.

From the fireworks, a shower of gold rained down and covered the entire castle, dissipating the gloom and transforming from dark and dreary to light and vibrant. Night changed to day, stones turned to marble, gargoyle statues turned to angels and cherubs, and the broken parts of the castle instantly repaired themselves.

Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy went up to Laxus and Mirajane, and as they did, they started to transform as well. With a pop, Natsu changed into an 18-year old young man with spiky pink-colored hair and wearing a black open-collared, one long-sleeved waistcoat, a white scarf that looked like a dragon scale, white knee-length trousers, and black open-toed sandals.

"Natsu," Laxus whispered.

Then Gray changed into an 18 year-old young man with short black hair and wearing a white long-sleeved trenchcoat and a blue t-shirt with belt straps around it.

"Gray!" Laxus recognized.

Then Erza changed into a 19-year old young woman with crimson long hair and wearing a black gothic Lolita outfit.

"Erza!" Laxus cried.

Lucy was the fourth person to change, as she transformed into a 17-year old young woman wearing a blue sleeveless shirt with the mark of a heart, a small blue jacket, and a blue skirt.

"Lucy!" Laxus exclaimed, before he happily hugged the four of them. "Look at us!"

"Hey, it's my turn now!" Wendy cheered, and she jumped onto the balcony and transformed into a 12-year old girl with long dark blue hair tied in two ponytails at the left and right, and wearing a white dress with a red bow tie.

"Oh, my gosh! You're your old self again!" Chelia shouted with tears of joy. "THIS IS THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" She ran towards Wendy and gave her a big hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Chelia… too tight…" Wendy wheezed under the tight hug.

"Oops, sorry!" Chelia blushed, releasing her. "I'm super-duper glad to see you again, Wendy!"

"I'm super-duper glad to see you again too, Chelia!" Wendy cried.

"Let's be friends again," Chelia suggested. "For the first time in forever!"

"Yeah! Let's be friends again!" Wendy nodded happily. With that, the two childhood friends hugged with open arms and tears of joy, overwhelmed by the feeling of reuniting for the first time in seven years.

"Wendy! Hey, Wendy!" shouted a voice.

"Aye!" shouted another voice.

Everyone turned to the door and watched as Romeo and Happy entered the balcony. With two pops, Romeo transformed into a 13-year old boy with short dark hair and wearing a long sleeveless open jacket, a yellow scarf tied around his neck, green shorts, and black boots, and Happy transformed into a blue Exceed with a pouch tied around his neck.

"I… I don't believe it!" Romeo exclaimed. "I'm a normal boy again!"

"I'm a cat again!" Happy yelled excitedly, and he spread his wings and flew around in circles. "Look, everybody! I can fly again!"

"My goodness!" Erza chuckled happily.

"It's a miracle!" Natsu proclaimed. "The spell is broken! We're all free!"

Meredy's expression soon turned into realization, as the sights of the castle, the living furniture, and the Lightning Beast finally added up. She said, "Of course! Prince Laxus had been the Lightning Beast all along!"

Laxus turned to Meredy, "Huh?"

"Prince Laxus, it's you!" Meredy cried. "You're the Lightning Beast! And this is your home, Fairy Tail Castle!"

"H-How'd you know the beast was me, and what this place is?" Laxus asked in surprise.

"All the rumors and speculations… it all makes sense," Meredy replied. "The Lightning Beast turned out to be the prince transformed into a monster by some sort of enchanted spell. Fairy Tail Castle was enchanted too, and in the end… the power of true love broke the spell. Just like every fairy tale."

"How were you that quick to figure that out?" Natsu asked Meredy.

Meredy chuckled, "Oh, I learned it from the best in urban legends I know; my best friend, Ultear."

Lucy remarked, "Wow. It took a lot of homework to learn our little secret…"

Laxus turned to Lisanna and Elfman and said politely, "You're Lisanna and Elfman, right? It's a pleasure to meet you again. I know our first meeting wasn't the best, but I'm here to let you know that I'm different now. And I'd like to apologize for causing you so much trouble."

Lisanna smiled warmly, "It's alright. Apology accepted."

Elfman added with a proud grin, "After all, you took care of our Big Sis. A manly beast with a manly heart. No hard feelings, right?"

Laxus chuckled, "Yeah. No hard feelings."

"Mira! Lisanna! Elfman!" called another voice.

The group turned around to see Yukino, Sherry, her husband Ren, and a now human Sorano entering the room and approaching the group.

"There you are!" Sherry cried. "Thank goodness no one's hurt."

Ren said, "Everybody in the castle's changing back into people…"

"…including my older sister!" Yukino added, holding Sorano's arm. "That means the spell is broken!" She turned to Yukino with a warm smile, "It's good to have you back, Big Sis."

"Thanks, Yukino," Sorano grinned back.

Sherry sighed affectionately, "True love transforms everyone."

Gray exclaimed, "You know about the spell, too?!"

Sherry explained, "Sorano told the villagers the whole story." She added with a giggle, "Everybody was so gullible to think they're attacking a monster, until they realized too late they attacked a fabulously handsome prince!"

Blushing, Ren turned to Laxus and bowed respectively at him. He said, "Prince Laxus, we're all very sorry for breaking in uninvited. Can you ever forgive us? We hope we didn't startle you."

Laxus grinned, "It's alright. And just for the occasion, you're all invited to Fairy Tail Castle for a big party."

Everyone turned to Laxus and gasped in excitement, " **REALLY?!** "

"Of course! After all, what's a good guy like me to do now that I'm human again?" Laxus nodded with a shrug. "There's gonna be a big party tomorrow morning."

And just like that, the whole group cheered in excitement.

"OH, YEAH!" Elfman shouted. "LET'S HAVE A MANLY PARTY!"

Chelia cheered, "It's party time!"

Sherry added, "A party of love!"

Meredy suggested, "I should invite Ultear over!"

Laxus turned to Mirajane with an affectionate smile. He said, "You've got room for one more dance at the ballroom?"

Mirajane giggled, "I would never say 'no' to a prince in disguise."

In the midst of the celebration, Laxus lifted Mirajane and spun her around, the two laughing together.

* * *

The next day, Mirajane and Laxus were in the ballroom, wearing the same attire they had been wearing the previous night. And this time, the whole ballroom was packed with hundreds of people from Fairy Tail Castle and the village, invited for the celebration.

"Maestro, music!" Natsu called out.

"It is my honor," Freed Justine the court composer replied. He raised his stick and directed the members of the orchestra to perform serene music. Laxus and Mirajane both kissed and began their dance, with several others from the castle and the village joining in. And look! Wendy and Romeo were dancing with each other, too! The crowd couldn't help but sigh at how cute those two kids were as they danced.

"Ah, young love," Natsu sighed affectionately, until Lucy passed him, having fluttered her feather duster on his face. She then winked her eye and gestured for Natsu to come with her. Natsu smirked and raised his eyebrows in symmetry with a confident chuckle as he went over to her, but was stopped by Gray, who shook his hand.

"There you are, old buddy, old pal," Gray grinned. "I've been looking all over for you."

Natsu asked, "Oh, you have?"

Gray replied, "I'm just asking if I missed anything."

"Oh, nothing much," Natsu shrugged, gesturing to Laxus and Mirajane dancing. "Laxus and Mira just started their second dance."

"No arguments there," Gray smiled, crossing his arms. "Things are gonna be a lot different, now that the spell's broken. It gives everyone a chance for a whole new beginning."

Natsu asked, "What do you mean?"

Gray replied, "What I mean is, we have to forget that crazy, ongoing feud between us. So what do you say, pal? Let bygones be bygones?"

"Why not?" Natsu grinned. "I told you she would break the spell."

Gray laughed slightly, "I think you're mistaken, Pyro. I believe I'm the one who told you."

"No, you didn't," Natsu said, starting to get angry. "I told you!"

"You most certainly did not, you pompous, paraffin-headed knucklehead!" Gray shouted defensively.

"Oh, so you wanna fight, huh?!" Natsu yelled, sticking into Gray's face. "Bring it on, you overgrown pocket watch!"

"I'm gonna pound you a hundred times all over the place, Smelt Head!" Gray shouted, a spark between them indicating the impending feud.

" **Is there a problem, boys?** " Erza butted in, showing a terrifying face in front of Natsu and Gray. The two yelped seeing Erza and held each other's shoulders with horrified, nervous smiles.

"No, nothing," Gray shuddered. "We're just hanging out, like old friends tend to do."

"Aye," Natsu nodded.

"That's my line," Happy pointed out.

Natsu whispered to Gray with a frown, "And here, I thought things were bad when Boss was a beast and Erza was a teapot."

Gray replied, "Yeah. But now that she's human again, she's got her scary looks back. She wants us to stop this pointless fighting and get along."

Natsu grumbled, "Why would I get along with a snow freak like you?"

Gray grumbled back, "And why would I get along with a pyromaniac like you?"

"What do you say, Gray? We duke it out at the Kardia Castle Gardens while everybody's asleep?"

"Definitely! We'll settle this there!"

Juvia was silently observing the scene from a pillar. Now a human, she has long blue hair and was wearing a black coat and a Russian Cossack hat. She smiled affectionately, "Oh, my beloved Gray! You're a hunk!"

As Laxus and Mirajane continued their waltz around the floor, they danced past Lisanna, Elfman, and Chelia.

Lisanna shed a tear of joy from her eye, "Don't you just love happy endings?"

Elfman shouted, "Yeah! Because happy endings are manly!" All of a sudden, he bumped into Evergreen, who has light brown hair tied to a ponytail and was wearing a green outfit that looks like a fairy. "Oops. Sorry, miss."

"It's alright. I'm…" Evergreen then stopped and stared at Elfman with a blush around her cheeks. "Oh, hello. I haven't seen you before. I'm Evergreen, by the way."

Elfman grinned, "The name's Elfman."

Evergreen shyly asked, "Would you like to join me for a dance?"

Elfman shrugged, "Uh, sure. Okay." Evergreen took his hand and dragged him to the ballroom floor.

Lisanna rolled her eyes with a smile, "Love's full of surprises, isn't it?"

"Hey, pretty lady!" called Bickslow, who was a tall man wearing a black outfit and a knight's mask concealing his eyes. "Dance with me!"

Lisanna was hesitant at first, but she complied and went over to Bickslow to share a dance with him. Wendy and Romeo then stood beside Chelia, having finished their dance, with Erza joining afterwards.

Chelia echoed Lisanna's words, "Love's full of surprises, isn't it?"

Erza replied, "Love is a transcendent force that goes through even the darkest times. But the greatest love of all is the one found within." She gestured to her heart, "And there is no greater treasure than this."

Romeo asked Erza, "Are they gonna live happily ever after, Miss Erza?"

"Of course, sweetie," Erza said happily, lifting Romeo in her arms. "Of course."

"After all, what's a fairy tale ending for?" Chelia added, putting her arm around Wendy.

Wendy smiled, but then a thought occurred to her and she asked Erza, "Do we still have to sleep in the cupboard?"

Erza, Romeo, and Chelia looked at Wendy in surprise and just laughed. In the meantime, Laxus and Mirajane continued dancing to the music in the middle of the ballroom with the crowd watching, and an off-screen choir began to sing.

Choir: **_Certain as the sun  
Rising in the east  
Tale as old as time  
Song as old as rhyme  
Beauty and the Beast_**

 ** _Tale as old as time  
Song as old as rhyme  
Beauty and the Beast_**

And truly, just as Erza said, for this Beauty and the Beast, this was indeed their happily ever after.

 **THE END**


	18. Credits and Ending Song

**Main Cast**

 _Ryōko Ono/Monica Rial as Mirajane Strauss  
Katsuyuki Konishi/Patrick Seitz as Laxus Dreyar  
Tetsu Shiratori/Ian Ferguson as Zancrow  
Tetsuya Kakihara/Todd Haberkorn as Natsu Dragneel  
_ _Yuichi Nakamura/Newton Pittman as Gray Fullbuster  
_ _Sayaka Ohara/Colleen Clinkenbeard as Erza Scarlet  
_ _Aya Hirano/Cherami Leigh as Lucy Heartfilia  
_ _Satomi Satō/Brittney Karbowski as Wendy Marvell  
_ _Mariya Ise/Lindsay Seidel as Romeo Conbolt  
_ _Ryou Sugisaki/Bryan Massey as Kain Hikaru  
_ _Harumi Sakurai/Carrie Savage as Lisanna Strauss  
_ _Hiroki Yasumoto/Christopher Sabat as Elfman Strauss  
_ _Yuka Iguchi/Alison Viktorin as Chelia Blendy  
_ _Saori Gotō/Bryn Apprill as Meredy  
_ _Fuyuka Ōura/Mallorie Rodak as Yukino Aguria  
_ _Rie Kugimiya/Tia Ballard as Happy  
_ _Mai Nakahara/Brina Palencia as Juvia Lockser  
_ _Wataru Hatano/David Wald as Gajeel Redfox_

 _Masafumi Kimura/Steve Powell as Yajima  
Kazuya Tatekabe/Bill Flynn as Roubaul  
_ _Masaki Kawanabe/Brian Mathis as Macao Conbolt  
_ _Yoshimitsu Shimoyama/Austin Tindle as Alzack Connell  
_ _Satomi Arai/Angela Chase as Bisca Connell  
_ _Atsushi Imaruoka/Jarrod Greene as Erik  
_ _Fuyuka Ōura/Lindsay Seidel as Sorano Aguria  
_ _Junichi Suwabe/John Burgmeier as Freed Justine  
_ _Saori Seto/Caitlin Glass as Evergreen  
_ _Yoshihisa Kawahara/Scott Freeman as Bickslow  
_ _Yui Horie/Jad Saxton as Carla  
_ _Yuka Iguchi/Trina Nishimura as Sherry Blendy  
_ _Masaya Matsukaze/Christopher Wehkamp as Ren Akatsuki  
_ _Takashi Matsuyama/Ed Blaylock as Jose Porla  
_ _and_ _Hidekatsu Shibata/Jim White as Narrator_

 **Ending Song  
** **Beauty and the Beast  
** Sung by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson

 _Tale as old as time  
_ _True as it can be  
_ _Barely even friends  
_ _Then somebody bends  
_ _Unexpectedly_

 _Just a little change  
_ _Small to say the least  
_ _Both a little scared  
_ _Neither one prepared  
_ _Beauty and the Beast_

 _Ever just the same  
_ _Ever a surprise  
_ _Ever as before  
_ _And ever just as sure  
_ _As the sun will rise  
_ _Oh oh oh ooh_

 _Ever just the same  
_ _Ever a surprise  
_ _Ever as before  
_ _Ever just as sure  
_ _As the sun will rise  
_ _Oh oh oh_

 _Tale as old as time  
_ _Tune as old as song  
_ _Bittersweet and strange  
_ _Finding you can change  
_ _Learning you were wrong_

 _Certain as the sun  
_ _(Certain as the sun)  
_ _Rising in the east  
_ _Tale as old as time  
_ _Song as old as rhyme  
_ _Beauty and the Beast_

 _Tale as old as time  
_ _Song as old as rhyme  
_ _Beauty and the Beast_

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 _And so concludes the second of Fairy Tail's Disney Parody Series, Beauty and the Lightning Beast! So far, this was the most successful story I've ever written, and I would like to thank all of my friends for supporting me. And for those who are big fans of my work, I recommend reading the first Disney Parody, Romeoladdin, and its sequel, the Return of Brain._

 _Please leave any review, and any request for what my next Disney Parody can be. Could it be The Little Mermaid? The Lion King? Tangled? The rest? Anything would do nice!_

 _And of course, I'm making a special announcement before I sign out. Not only am I working on the Fairy Tail Disney Parodies, I'm also considering Fairy Tail Pixar Parodies as well. I would consider a Fairy Tail story based on Toy Story or the Incredibles, but right now, I'm brainstorming with ideas. Please leave any suggestions and I'll see what I can do._

 _This is the TheSavageMan100, signing out. Till the day we meet again, and may our hearts remain in love. Bye-bye for now!_


End file.
